Brrrr: Harsh Winter Chilled Retail Sales in January, But Core Sales Held Up

Harsh winter weather put a chill on retail spending in January, as shoppers bought fewer cars and cut back on some store and restaurant purchases even as online sales and a key measure of core retail demand held up.

Retail and food services sales fell 0.2 percent in January from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted $733.5 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday. December sales were unrevised at essentially flat. From a year earlier, retail sales were up 3.2 percent.

Economists had expected an even deeper contraction of 0.4 percent.

The headline decline appeared to overstate the weakness in household demand. Sales excluding autos were…

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