Mother's Day Sales Should Improve

-- Home Textiles Today, 4/26/2010 12:00:00 AM

Washington —

Stepped up consumer holiday spending is expected to continue for Mother's Day, according to the National Retail Federation.

Average per-person spending on the holiday is expected to rise 2.4% to $126.90. The survey by BigResearch forecast total spending to reach $14.6 billion this year.

In what NRF calls “a noticeable shift,” one-third (30.6%) will do their Mother's Day shopping in department stores, compared to 27.2% last year. That slightly outpaces discount stores (30.4%) as a destination.

Specialty stores such as florists or jewelers will see the most traffic (33.6%). Other shoppers will patronize online (19.7%), specialty clothing stores (6.2%) or catalogs (2.5%).

“Even with slight improvements in the economy, consumers are still looking for unique, sentimental and inexpensive ways to show mom that she is important,” said Tracy Mullin, President and ceo, NRF.