Momentum from last month helped sales at U.S. chain stores in the first week of March, a report said on Tuesday. The pace of sales at major retailers increased by 5.1 percent on a year-over-year basis for the week ended March 6, down slightly from the preceding week's 5.8 percent pace, said Redbook, a private research group. Sales in March were down 0.7 percent compared with February. "Retailers are looking particularly for improvement in seasonal business as warmer weather draws closer," the report said. The Redbook data are compiled from a sample of same-store sales at general merchandise retailers representing about 9,000 stores. Same-store sales measure revenue at stores open at least one year.m|||www.s.com