The 2003 holiday retail season got off to a strong start on Black Friday, according to the ShopperTrak National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE). Sales for the first day of the season totaled $7.2 billion, a jump of 4.8 percent from the day after Thanksgiving last year, which was also a strong sales day.
"It was a very pleasant surprise that demand was as strong as it was on Black Friday. Not only are the incentives and discounts bringing people into the stores to shop and buy, retailers also report that full-priced merchandise did well," said Michael Niemira, lead consultant for ShopperTrak. "This start is really a vote of confidence by the consumer that the 2003 holiday season is likely to be one of the best in years."
Related Resources:
• 2003 Holiday Consumer Spending Report
• More Retail and Real Estate News