BISMARCK, N.D. – The head of the North Dakota Retail Association says he expects holiday sales in the state this year to be up 1 to 2 percent over last year, compared with a predicted 1 percent drop nationally.

Mike Rud says North Dakota has not been hit as hard by the economic recession as other parts of the country.

Rud says consumer confidence will play a big role in holiday sales, and he thinks North Dakotans might have a more positive outlook than others.

Last year sales during the holiday shopping season in North Dakota were flat. Rud blames successive weekend storms during the last month and a half of the year that had many people digging out rather than out shopping.