Sales at furniture and home furnishings stores ticked up in November

WASHINGTON – Overall retail sales growth was healthy in November although month-over-month results were flat, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor.

In the furniture and home furnishings stores channel, sales were up 0.53% year over year unadjusted and up 0.01% month over month seasonally adjusted. The segment underperformed the broader industry on a year-over-year basis but did better than the norm month over month.

The Retail Monitor calculation of core retail sales (excluding restaurants, to auto dealers and gas stations) was up 4.66% year over year but was down a slight 0.04% month over month in November. That compared with increases of 4.89% year over year in October and 0.6% month over month.

The Retail Monitor uses actual, anonymized credit and debit card purchase data compiled by Affinity Solutions to compile sales data.

“Shoppers looking for online deals may have held back a bit until Cyber Monday, which landed in December due to a late Thanksgiving, likely shifting some spending,” said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay.

November sales were up in all but one category on a yearly basis, led by digital products, sporting goods stores and clothing stores but were down in six out of nine categories on a monthly basis. Specifics from key sectors in addition the furniture and home furnishings stores data noted above include:

• Digital products (such as electronic books and games) were down 0.37% month over month seasonally adjusted but up 14.81% year over year unadjusted.
• Sporting goods, hobby, music and book stores were up 0.28% month over month seasonally adjusted and up 8.96% year over year unadjusted.
• Clothing and accessories stores were down 0.04% month over month seasonally adjusted but up 8.16% year over year unadjusted.
• Grocery and beverage stores were up 0.74% month over month seasonally adjusted and up 3.89% year over year unadjusted.
• General merchandise stores were down 0.73% month over month seasonally adjusted but up 3.1% year over year unadjusted.
• Health and personal care stores were down 0.19% month over month seasonally adjusted but up 1.31% year over year unadjusted.
• Electronics and appliance stores were down 2.94% month over month seasonally adjusted but up 1.01% year over year unadjusted.
• Building and garden supply stores were down 1.74% month over month seasonally adjusted and down 9.38% year over year unadjusted.

“Consumers are focusing on value and spending carefully during the holiday period, and retailers are offering products at competitive prices to fit every budget,” said Shay. “We remain confident in our 2025 holiday forecast as well as our retail sales projections for the full year.”

NRF is forecasting that 2025 holiday sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 will increase between 3.7% and 4.2% compared with 2024 to just over $1 trillion. NRF has forecast that retail sales for the entire year will increase between 2.7% and 3.7% over 2024 to as much as $5.48 trillion.