# Watch: US retail suffers surprising January sales decline

Published 2018-02-15 · Updated 2026-03-19 · Retail on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/retail/watch-us-retail-suffers-surprising-january-sales-decline

> Reports say retail sales dropped 0.3% in January, the biggest decline in 11 months. Forecasts expected at least a 0.2%, so the drop surprised analysts and retailers alike. The decline has been attributed to household cutbacks on large expenses like cars and building materials. December, previously marked as an 0.2% bump in sales, has been…

Reports say retail sales dropped 0.3% in January, the biggest decline in 11 months. Forecasts expected at least a 0.2%, so the drop surprised analysts and retailers alike. The decline has been attributed to household cutbacks on large expenses like cars and building materials. December, previously marked as an 0.2% bump in sales, has been corrected to a flat rate. Consumer spending as a whole grew nearly 4% in Q4 of 2017, posing the question: why retail is so rocky?

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