Retail Sales Pick Up in March

Retail sales picked up in March, spurred in part by an early Easter and warmer weather, the nation’s major retailers reported today. Some companies fared much better than others.

Sears, Roebuck & Co., the largest, said its sales for the five weeks ending April 5 edged up 0.7% over the same period a year ago. For February, it had reported a 2% decline. No. 2 K mart Corp. said its sales for the period increased 8.2%, while third-ranked J. C. Penney Co. posted a 6.6% gain. No. 4 Dayton-Hudson Corp. said its sales climbed 9.4%.