Retail sales up marginally in week

U.S. retail receipts rose marginally in the week ending Saturday, a trade group in Washington said. The International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs weekly sales report said sales rose 0.2 percent over the previous week and 1.8 percent over the same week of 2012. Sales were steady at clothing stores and higher at grocery stores week to week, but down from the same week of 2012, the weekly report said. Weather Trends International said temperatures averaged 4 degrees Fahrenheit colder than the same week a year earlier, making it the second consecutive week in which sales of spring items were held back by a continuing chill. A 10-week escalation of rising gas prices came to a halt. The national average price of a gallon of unleaded dropped by 2.5 cents in the week as of Monday to $3.759, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said.