Retail sales decline slightly during week

WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- Retail sales in the United States declined slightly on the week ending May 3, the International Council of Shopping Centers-USB reported Tuesday.

Shopping declined by 0.2 percent on the week after two weeks of marginal gains, the report said.

The decrease follows a 0.7 percent increase for the week ending April 12 and a 0.7 percent increase last week.

On a year-over-year basis sales during the week grew by a 2.3 percent, its biggest gain since the third week of February.

The retail group noted that 90 percent of the country experienced much colder temperatures compared with a year ago, presumably "a big negative impact on seasonal category sales," the report said.

The final week of April was the sixth wettest and the second coldest in the past 16 years, the report said.