Record slump in US retail sales revealed following Covid-19 shutdown

Restaurateurs were among those to feel the pinch.

US retail sales tumbled by a record 16.4% from March to April as business shutdowns caused by Covid-19 kept shoppers away, threatened stores across the country and weighed down a sinking economy.

The Commerce Department’s report on retail purchases showed a sector that has collapsed so quickly that sales over the past 12 months are down a crippling 21.6%.