Consumers continued to power on in June, spending more at gas stations, online, in restaurants and at fashion specialty and department stores.
In-store sales at specialty retailers rose 4.8 percent last month, compared with a year ago, according to the Census Bureau’s monthly reading of retail sales on Thursday. Department stores were up 3.7 percent and non-store retailers, a category dominated by online buying, rose 14.2 percent.
Spending on all retail and food services outlays rose 6.7 percent from June 2025 — a level that while brought down by inflation of 3.5 percent, still shows significant growth at a time of consumer uncertainty.
Spending at gas stations jumped 19.8 percent last month as the now on-again war with Iran disrupted global oil markets, threatening to stoke price increases across the economy.
While fashion brands have been trying to take advantage of their retail momentum, they are also keeping a close eye on the broader economic scene.
