Retail rose in January

Retail sales rose 0.4 percent in January over December, with auto sales down 1.1 percent and gasoline sales up 1.4 percent, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday. Retail sales, including food service sales, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for prices rose to $401.4 billion on January sales that were 5.8 percent higher than in January 2011, the bureau said in a release. Non-store sales, which includes Internet and catalog sales, dropped 1.1 percent month to month, while receipts at general merchandise stores rose 2 percent. Department store sales, a category listed under general merchandise, rose 1 percent.