US retailers recorded better than expected sales in February as positive economic news and warm weather prompted an early start to spring shopping, while a new fashion line up at Gap helped generate its first sales growth in seven months. Retail sector sales grew by 6.5 per cent from a year ago among the 20 or so retailers that report monthly figures, the biggest gain since June 2011, according to Retail Metrics. Sales at Target, the mass-market discounter, rose 7 per cent and Macy's, the department store, posted a 4.6 per cent increase. Barbara Kahn, marketing professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, said the strong sales figures reflected higher consumer confidence and lower unemployment and indicated that growing concern over rising gas prices was not yet inhibiting spending. At stores open at least a year, sales of the Gap brand in North America rose 1 per cent in February, as it started selling clothes from a new creative team that is aiming to reverse Gap's long-run decline into dowdiness. "Customers responded well to our spring product," said Glenn Murphy, chief executive. Last week Gap had reported a bleak Christmas. Keith Jelinek of Alix Partners, a consultancy, said warm temperatures had encouraged shoppers to start buying spring clothes and outdoor furniture: "Retailers always want to blame the weather, but the weather definitely helped because this time last year we had very serious storms that pushed people inside." Another month of strong growth at stores that specialise in cut-price goods, with 9 per cent increases at both TJX and Ross Stores, suggested consumers remain cost-conscious. They're being very precise in what they want to buy. They're not updating their whole wardrobe. They're being wise with their spend," Mr Jelinek said. Last week, Walmart, which does not report monthly sales, said US unemployment had not yet fallen to a level where financial pressure on its core low-income customers had visibly eased. On Thursday the retailer, the world's biggest by sales, said it would raise its annual dividend by 9 per cent to $1.59 per share.