Retail Sales Gain in January

Retail same-store sales increased 4.9 percent in January, which was up over December’s 3.6 percent gain and January 2011 increase of 4.2 percent. The rise can be attributed to improved results from retailers such as Costco and Target, says Kantar Retail. Apparel and accessory store dropped slightly below average, and department stores lagged the most, however.