Forecast looks for best holiday shopping season for Ohio in 4 years

11/16/2011

COLUMBUS — A new forecast says increasing employment will help make Ohio's holiday shopping season the strongest since 2007.

The study done by the University of Cincinnati Economics Center predicts a 3.3 percent increase in holiday retail sales in Ohio compared to the same period a year ago.

The researchers say their prediction reflects not only Ohio's slowly rising employment but also improving sales in the state throughout this year and slightly higher inflation.

The report was commissioned by the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants. It says greater Columbus will be responsible for the largest share of the state's holiday sales, followed by the Cleveland and Cincinnati areas.