Back to School sales helped raise retail sales by .3% over the previous week and 2.5% over one year ago, following a four-week decline in June into July. Expectations are that Back to School sales will rise another 2.5% from July through September, which will be a successful repeat of the 2015 season. 
Discounters and wholesale clubs were the strongest contributors to the rise in sales last week, with focus on electronics, clothing, shoes and books. Back to School season is highly promotional as retailers clear inventory for the upcoming holiday season. The National Retail Federation expects total spending to reach $75.8 billion, up from $68 billion in 2015. 60.5% of consumers plan to shop in discount stores, followed by 59.6% shopping in department stores. This rising trend over 2015 is significant, as 2015 was a drop from 2014’s splurge year by consumers in the Back to School/Back to College season.
Source: WWD.com, NRF
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