The U.S. Census Bureau announced Friday that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for February, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $355.5 billion, an increase of 0.3 percent from the previous month and 3.9 percent above February 2009.

Total sales for the December 2009 through February 2010 period were up 4.5 percent from the same period a year ago. The December 2009 to January 2010 percent change was revised from +0.5 percent to +0.1 percent

Retail trade sales were up 0.3 percent from January 2010 and 4.4 percent above last year.

JCK