NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Sunday's Super Bowl XXXVIII is expected to be a sales bonanza for retailers of consumer electronics and sports apparel, with an estimated 1.5 million TV sets sold for football's big day, according to an industry survey Monday.

The National Retail Federation (NRF), the industry's largest trade group, cited results of a recent survey in saying about 44 million Americans will attend a Super Bowl party this weekend.

Of those attending or hosting a party, a majority -- or 87 percent -- plan to buy food and beverages. TV sets, apparel and new furniture are some other popular products categories ahead of the event, the report said.

"Retailers aren't the first group of people you think of regarding this event, but there has been such widespread support for Super Bowl this year that many people are heading to stores to buy not just food and drinks but the big ticket items like TVs and recliners," said Ellen Tolley, spokeswoman for the NRF. "Last year, consumers were worried about the war [with Iraq] so they held scaled-down parties."

Best Buy, the No. 1 electronics retailer, said the two weeks prior to Super Bowl are one of the biggest TV sales period for the company.

"Sports and entertainment are key television sales drivers," a Best Buy said in a statement e-mailed to CNN/Money. "We typically see a lift in purchases of large screen TVs, including plasma, LCD (liquid crystal display) and DLP (digital light processing)."