Dive Brief:

• Retail sales in stores and online rose 0.3% in February, the first increase in three months and better than last year by 1.5%, the U.S. Department of Commerce said Thursday.

• The numbers beat expectations of economists, who had estimated a 0.2% increase.

• Areas still reporting losses included electronics and general merchandise. Home building and garden supplies had already been having a couple of good months.

Dive Insight:

Most retail observers are getting tired of blaming poor sales on the weather, and finally we see signs of a thaw. You could still say the news from the U.S. Department of Commerce for retail is like the weather, though: a bright light despite the continued chill.