RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Christmas sales in Brazil grew 9.5 percent this year compared to that of the same period of 2018, showing the best performance since 2014, the Brazilian Association of Shopping Centers (Alshop) reported on Thursday.

The job creation in 2019, the release of a deposit for workers, and the reduction of the basic interest rate during the year helped boost Christmas season sales for Brazilian businesses, the industry group Alshop said.

At a press conference, Alshop president Nabil Sahyoun said that "Christmas was very positive," with clothing, toys, and cosmetics leading sales during the season, and he added that the group predicts the trend will continue.

The results surpassed Alshop's forecast of a 6.5 percent increase in Christmas sales.

According to Alshop, preliminary data indicate that the sector would close the year with a growth of 7.5 percent compared to last year, for a total of about 168.2 billion reals (around 42 billion U.S. dollars).

The group also stated in the press conference that in 2019, 12 commercial centers were opened in Brazil and for 2020, between 13 and 20 more are expected to open.