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Bookstore Sales Show Slight Rise
Printer-friendly versionFor the second month in a row bookstore sales showed a fractional increase over the previous year. Preliminary May bookstore sales figures of $1,198 million were 0.8 percent better than the $1,188 million of the previous May.
However, May is the fourth month in a row in which bookstore sales failed to keep pace with overall retail. Overall retail sales of $313 billion for May 2002 came in 2.2 percent over the $306 billion realized in May of 2001.
|
Period
|
2001 Final (Millions of Dollars)
|
2002 (Millions of Dollars)
|
% Increase 2002 Over 2001
|
| January |
1,698
|
2,188
|
28.9
|
| February |
1,163
|
1,117
|
(4.0)
|
| March |
1,165
|
1,126
|
(3.3)
|
| April |
1,034
|
1,043
|
0.9
|
| May |
1,188
|
1,198(p)
|
0.8
|
| YTD |
6,248
|
6,672
|
6.8
|
(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.