2014 Holiday Sales Up 4 Percent

Overall holiday retail sales reached their highest level since 2011 last November and December, increasing 4 percent from 2013 to $616.1 billion.

According to the National Retail Federation, December retail sales alone (which exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) decreased 0.9 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month, and 4.6 percent unadjusted year-over-year, but total sales over the holiday period were boosted by a strong November.

In addition, total non-store holiday sales, an indicator of online and e-commerce sales, grew 6.8 percent to $101.9 billion.