Holiday Sales Projected to Jump as Consumer Jitters Subside

  • Sales could climb up to 4.5%, according to Deloitte forecast
  • E-commerce orders expected to outpace brick-and-mortar growth

Inside A Barnes & Noble Inc. Location As New CEO Sees Non-Book Items As Key To Holidays

Photographer: Yana Paskova/Bloomberg
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U.S. retail sales are expected to accelerate during this year’s holiday season, a sign consumers will be more comfortable opening their wallets than in the aftermath of 2016’s tumultuous presidential election.

Sales may climb as much as 4.5 percent to $1.05 trillion in the November-through-January shopping season, according to Deloitte LLP. That would outpace the 3.6 percent growth in the same period of last year, the New York-based consulting firm said. The seasonally adjusted numbers exclude purchases of motor vehicles and gas.