US DATA: ICSC sales for Nov 26 wk: “Consumers took advantage of
extra long shopping hours on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday and
kicked off the 2011 holiday shopping in style giving retailers a
positive start to the season. Overall for the week ending November 26,
2011, weekly retail sales rose by a solid 1.7 percent, according to
International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and Goldman Sachs
Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. On a year-over-year basis, retail sales
rose sharply by 4.0 percent, the strongest gain since July 30, 2011.