U.S. Holiday Sales to Climb 3% to 3.5%, ICSC Says

U.S. retailers’ sales will climb 3 percent to 3.5 percent this holiday season, the best performance since 2006, as the economy improves, the International Council of Shopping Centers said.

The gain for November and December is consistent with the year-to-date climb of 3.5 percent, Mike Niemira, the ICSC’s chief economist, said in an e-mail today. His New York-based trade group tracks sales at stores open at least a year at more than 30 chains.