US DATA: ICSC for Apr 30 wk: “In the final fiscal week of April,
chain-store sales faced a range of negative influences from tornadoes
and power outages curbing consumers’ ability to shop in some regions
through rising gasoline prices affecting consumers’ ability to spend.
But still, consumers more generally were shopping according to the
ICSC-Goldman Sachs weekly customer traffic survey, with factory outlets
and malls favored. The net sales effect for the week ending April
30-accounting for the seasonal impact of Easter Sunday (April 24, 2011)
store closures-showed a decline of 0.8 percent, according to the
ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. On a year-over-year
basis, retail sales slowed to 2.8 percent.”