Retail sales rise in unseasonable week

U.S. retail sales receipts at chain stores rose 1.8 percent in the week ending Saturday, the International Council of Shopping Centers said Tuesday. The week-to-week gain came with a weekly average temperature that was 12.9 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than a year earlier and 9 degrees warmer than the weeks' long-term average, Weather Trends International said. Sales also rose 3.5 percent above the same week of 2011, the retail trade group said. Warm temperatures, which the ICSC called "incredibly large" put seasonal shopping on hold. The weather, "hurt the demand for such goods as space heaters, fire logs and auto batteries." However, the unseasonable warmth "may have gotten consumers thinking about spring fashion," the ICSC said.