March nationwide retail sales are now available at the below link. The consumer recovery is accelerating.

Consumer Regaining Confidence
March consumer spending surprised analysts with stronger-than-expected sales despite rapidly rising fuel prices and a later Easter business. Comparable store sales rose 1.7% during March in the Reuters Same-Store Sales Index. This compares to an expected decrease of 0.7%, exceeding analysts' expectations by 2.4%. The message is clear. The consumer is regaining confidence and moving ahead.

The Retail Marketplace
Nationwide retailers continued to have good comparable store sales growth during March. Costco was up 13.0%, Limited Brands delivered a 14% increase and Saks at 11.1% up. In the fourth quarter, DSW led the footwear sector with a 14.9% increase, their second consecutive double-digit increase. In the Home area, Pier 1 and Cost Plus delivered solid 8.9% and 7.7% increases respectively.

Auto Sales Robust
Have you seen more paper dealer license plates as you're driving around? You probably have, and the reason is because auto sales are up a whopping 17% for March (AP release). Chrysler led with 31% growth for the month.

The Candidate Market
Rob Romaine, President of Management Recruiters International shared a valuable observation; "Once a passive candidate is considering a position, they're no longer passive and with each week they are more likely to be considering additional opportunities. A delay in extending an offer risks a candidate losing the enthusiasm to take the position and if they find other opportunities, it can create a bidding situation, driving up the cost." This is real. This is happening. Rock star talent is being lost to competitors because the interview process is too slow. You snooze, you lose; especially in retail.

The deal-breaker for many candidates is their home equity position. Having a "loss-on-sale" event upon selling their home is having a dampening effect upon candidate relocations. Understanding skills is only part of the equation to successfully attract and deliver a desirable candidate in our current market. Getting creative with relocation support is increasingly important to get the hire.

Unemployment
The unemployment picture shows little change. Overall, the needle is stuck around 9%. For college-educated professionals it's in the 4% range. Change here will come slowly as deficits dominate headlines. The growth in consumer activity tells us that the employed population is ready to move ahead.

Click here for March National Retailer Sales Results

Here we are, only 3 ½ weeks until the end of Q1. But wait, what happened to February! The answer is simple - everything is accelerating. Retail sales are up, along with several commodities critical to retail. There are now even inflation fears!

The Retail Marketplace
Sales are exceeding expectations. Reuter's comparable store sales index rose 4.2% for February, exceeding estimates for a 3.6% increase. Although February typically includes seasonal clearance you'll see how retailers were successful at introducing new merchandise and driving top-line sales growth. Check out the below link to February National Retail Results.

DSW delivered a whopping 14.9% increase, even after a 10.1% increase in third quarter. In apparel, Limited Brands delivered another red hot 12% increase for February after a 24% January comp store performance. Ann Taylor and Coach delivered outstanding 11% and 12.6% comp store increases for their most recent quarters. The consumer is back! But they're not only buying apparel.

Everything automotive is sizzling. Car Max reported 23% increase for third quarter. Auto parts retailers Advance Auto Parts, Auto Zone and O'Reilly posted increases of 11%, 12.7% and 12%, respectively.

The boating market is coming alive quickly. The WestWinn Group of Vernon, BC shared that demand continues to be at near capacity for their popular line of Jetcraft and Kingfisher boats. Some dealers report being totally surprised by seasonal boat show sales results. For boating, this is a huge shift from the past two years.

Unemployment - Some Areas Much Stronger
There were few headlines until this weekend, when the Labor Department released U.S. Unemployment Falls From 9.0 to 8.9%. The private sector added 222,000 jobs, while the state and local level governments shed 30,000 positions.

The management, professional and related occupation unemployment rate fell from 4.8 to 4.4% year-over-year. The sales and related occupations unemployment rate also fell from 10.2 to 9.0% year-over-year. Experts advise that we should expect to see consistent slow and steady job growth, good news for the retail industry.

Click here for February National Retailer Sales Results

After a holiday season of consistent retail growth we expected the same for January. We're happy to report that retail sales growth did continue for the majority of retailers. Several retailers have announced expansion plans for 2011, validating confidence in consumer spending.

In their January summary, Chain Store Age reported, "The reports, many of which surpassed Wall Street expectations, offer encouragement that strength in consumer spending is continuing after a merry holiday season." Analysts were surprised that repeated snowstorms did little to curtail a robust January retail performance.

Unemployment
The Labor Department reported a gain of 50,000 jobs, and nationwide unemployment shrinking to 9.0% from 9.4% in January. Seasonally adjusted professional level unemployment shrank to 4.7% from 5.0%. For those with a Bachelor's degree or higher the unemployment rate decreased from 4.8% to 4.2% for the same period.

Watch Area
The auto parts retailers continue to enjoy near double-digit increases as we turn the corner into 2011. It's our belief that the new car industry is poised for an explosion of new car sales. Start watching for the dealer paper license plates - you'll start seeing more any day.

Click here for January National Retail Sales Results