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Bookstore Sales Lag Behind Overall Retail
Printer-friendly versionPreliminary March sales figures of $1,122 million were 3.7 percent off the $1,165 million of the previous March. While not a significant drop, it is disappointing when compared with bookstore performance over the last two years and when compared with overall retail recently.
Overall March retail sales for 2002 came in 2.8 percent over the $288 billion realized in March of 2001.
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2001-2002 RETAIL SALES for BOOKSTORES (unadjusted)
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Period
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2001 Final (Millions of Dollars)
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2002 (Millions of Dollars)
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% Increase 2002 Over 2001
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January
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1,698
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2,188
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28.9
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| February |
1,163
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1,117
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(4.0)
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| February |
1,165
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1,122 (p)
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(3.7)
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YTD
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4,026
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4,427
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10.0
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(p) Preliminary figure
Note: Estimates reflect sales of all types of participating bookstore, including trade, college, religious, chain stores (including superstores), and others. A bookstore is defined as any retail establishment with sales comprised of more than 50 percent new books and periodicals, and estimates include sales of all products in these stores.
Source: Bureau of the Census, Current Retail Trade Branch.