US DATA: Redbook for Nov 19 wk: “The week ended on a stronger note
than it began, not surprising for a pre-Thanksgiving week, as food and
special promotions drew in customers. Retailers noticed shoppers holding
off gift shopping and waiting for the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber
Monday deep promotions. As the holiday season gets underway in earnest,
the two days following Thanksgiving typically represent the busiest
period of the entire year.’

Year-over-year: Week (w/e 11/19/11 vs year-ago) 3.7%
Year-over-year: Month (November 2011 vs November 2010) 3.3%
Month-over-month: (November 2011 vs October 2011) 1.7%