Retail sales for the Nov.-Dec. period rose 4.1% to $471.5 billion, up slightly from a 3.8% forecast by the National Retail Federation, and ending a year that was retail’s strongest in the U.S. since 1999 as overall consumer purchases rose 7.7%. Nonethe­less, there was cause for concern as unseasonably warm Dec. weather across much of the nation and a slowdown in consumer buying in all but one week of the month forced more discounting. Both factors impacted margins even if top lines were maintained. But clearly, some retailers did a better job than others in controlling their inventory flow and ... Log in to view full article.