After a turbulent start to 2014, the nation’s retailers expect sales in November and December to increase a healthy 4.1% to $616.9 billion, higher than 2013’s actual 3.1% increase during that same time frame. Holiday sales on average have grown 2.9% over the past 10 years, according to the group, including 2014’s estimates, and are expected to represent approximately 19.2% of the retail industry’s annual sales of $3.2 trillion.
