U.S. retail sales decreased a seasonally adjusted 0.3% — the weakest showing in five months — after rising a revised 1.1% in December, the U.S. Commerce Department said today. A 3.3% decline in demand for motor vehicles and parts pushed overall sales lower.

The slowdown at car dealerships was an exception to an otherwise solid month. December sales excluding the volatile autos category rose 0.6%, with healthy demand for apparel, up 1.8%, and general merchandise, up 0.9%, leading the way.

Economists were looking for a 0.4% overall decline in sales, and a rise of just 0.4% in sales excluding autos.

Demand rose 0.3% at food and beverage stores; 0.7% at eating and drinking places; 0.6% at sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores; and 0.6% at health and personal care stores. Demand fell 0.2% at non-store retailers (which includes online sales), 0.3% at building materials and garden stores, 0.1% at furniture retailers, and 0.6% at electronic stores.

Meanwhile, business inventories increased 0.2% in December to a seasonally adjusted $1.278 trillion, after climbing 1.1% in November, the Commerce Department said today. Stockpiles were initially seen up 1.0% in November.

Business sales rose at a much higher rate, up 1.0% in December, after increasing an unrevised 0.4% the previous month.

The inventory-to-sales ratio eased to 1.30 in December, down from 1.31 in November, Commerce said.

Separately, manufacturing activity in the New York Federal Reserve district slipped to a reading of 19.19 in February compared with an unrevised 20.08 in January. February marked the 22nd straight month of positive readings.

Economists had expected a steeper drop to 18.2.