Retail sales continue to climb in June

WASHINGTON – Retail sales rose for the ninth consecutive month in June, supported by strong consumer spending on summer promotions and early back-to-school purchases, according to the latest CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions.

Total retail sales, excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations, rose 0.33% on a seasonally adjusted basis from May and 9.41% year over year. Core retail sales, which also exclude restaurants, increased 0.36% from the previous month and 10.08% year over year compared with June 2025.

“The summer shopping season got off to a strong start in June,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Consumers took advantage of summer sales events, and many got an early jump on back-to-school shopping. The willingness to spend on retail goods has been supported by the retail industry’s laser focus on affordability as well as a durable labor market.”

For chain drug retailers, health and personal care stores continued to outperform many other retail segments, with sales up 0.5% month over month and 12.87% year over year. Grocery and beverage stores also posted gains, up 0.25% from May and 5.26% year over year, while general merchandise stores were up 0.29% month over month and 9.9% year over year.

NRF said the strong year-over-year comparisons were partly due to softer sales in June 2025. On a seasonally adjusted basis, total retail sales increased 4.26% year over year, while core retail sales rose 4.23%.

During the first six months of 2026, unadjusted total retail sales were up 6.81% year over year, and core retail sales increased 6.84%.

Among the fastest-growing retail sectors were sporting goods, hobby, music, and book stores; electronics and appliance stores; and clothing and accessories retailers. Digital products also posted double-digit annual growth.

The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor is based on anonymized credit and debit card transaction data from Affinity Solutions rather than survey data, allowing it to provide monthly retail sales estimates without subsequent revisions.