Statement from Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Retail Sales in April 2010

The following press release was published by the U.S. Department of Commerce on May 14, 2010. It is reproduced in full below.

The Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau today released retail sales for April 2010. Retail sales increased 0.4 percent, following a large 2.1‑percent rise in March. Sales of building materials and garden equipment and supplies jumped 6.9 percent following a similarly large gain in March. Private-sector analysts had expected a small decline of 0.1 percent in total sales in April.

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce