Retail Business

Positives :

* Clothing - firming up up 2.3% three of the past four months.
• Electronics — rising 1.1% but that followed a 1.0% decline in July.
• Food/beverage stores had their best sales month, up 0.5%, since January.
• Drug stores also had their best month since March — up 0.4% last month and up in three of the past four months.
• Sports/music/book stores - a huge 2.3% run-up last month.
• Department stores - posted a 1.6% Month to Month surge

Negatives :

• Restaurants — up 0.3% and this followed two months of decline.
• Furniture stores - 0.2% sales loss — sales have been down now for six months running.
• Building materials - a huge 1.2% decline, the third large falloff in a row.