NRF: Holiday sales to slow from last year’s blistering pace

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail trade group, expects that holiday sales growth this year will slow to a range of 6% to 8%, compared with the blistering 13.5% growth of a year ago. The trade group said Thursday that it predicts that sales for the November and December period will grow to between $942.6 billion to $960.4 billion. Holiday sales increased 13.5% compared with the holiday 2020 season when shoppers, locked down during the early part of the pandemic, splurged on pajamas and home goods, mostly online. Holiday sales have averaged gains of 4.9% over the past 10 years, according to the group.