"Folks are willing to spend a little bit of money on their home, and on accessorizing their outfits with additional nice pieces," said Keith Jelinek of AlixPartners. "It's a fight for market share among retailers rather than a rising tide, and those with momentum are winning out." The New York Times cited " signs that the American consumer is feeling more secure" as a contributor to the results, noting that Conference Board findings released earlier this week indicated consumer confidence during the month was the highest level in a year. "The retailers that had a tailwind going into the February season continued to drive sales increases," said Joel Bines of AlixPartners. Total spending for Valentine's Day this year "was expected to reach $17.6 billion, compared with $15.7 billion last year," the Journal noted. According to the National Retail Federation, the average person spent $126.03 on Valentine's Day, up 8.5% from last year's $116.21-which was affected by severe weather-and the highest total in the survey's 10-year history. Presidents Day weekend and Valentine's Day were significant contributors. Thomson Reuters said sales at stores it tracks rose 6.4%, substantially better than the 4.8% gain analysts had predicted.
February's unseasonably warm weather " brought out shoppers for spring wear and clearance sales," using money "they didn't spend on apparel for a frigid winter that didn't come," the Wall Street Journal reported.
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