U.S. retail sales in 2021 expected to jump on vaccine, stimulus in positive sign for economy - NRF 02/24/2021 | 04:22pm EDT Send by mail : Message : Required fields (Reuters) - U.S. retail sales could rise as much as 8.2% to more than $4.33 trillion this year as more people get the COVID-19 vaccine and the economy reopens, the National Retail Federation (NRF) said on Wednesday. The economy is expected to see its fastest growth in over two decades as the rollout of the vaccine to consumers should permit accelerated growth during the mid-year, the trade group said. NRF expects the overall economy to gain between 220,000 and 300,000 jobs per month in 2021.