‘Sluggish’ sales expected for holidays
NEW YORK — Retailers can expect a low-single-digit increase in holiday season sales, according to a slew of preseason forecasts. Citing “continued consumer resilience,” the authors of the Mastercard SpendingPulse foresee a 3.7% increase in spending compared with a year ago. Deloitte’s annual holiday retail forecast pegs the increased spending at between 3.4% and 4.6%.