The City of Tumwater once again bucked a quarterly trend as its taxable retail sales rose in the fourth quarter of 2011, while retail sales fell or were flat in Thurston County, Olympia, Lacey and Yelm, according to data released Wednesday by the state Department of Revenue.
The county data also suggests that the holiday sales boost most retailers rely on to carry them into the new year didn?t materialize.
But that wasn?t the case in Tumwater, where growth was more in line with what the state experienced in the fourth quarter. Statewide taxable retail sales rose 4.2 percent to $27.9 billion from $26.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010. In Tumwater, taxable retail sales rose more than 6 percent in the same period.
Although the state Department of Revenue does not disclose retail sales by specific business, Tumwater?s sales growth likely stems from its growing retail district at Trosper and Littlerock roads.
The year-over-year fourth-quarter data show:
Thurston County: Fell 2.48 percent to $995.3 million from $1.02 billion.
Olympia: Fell 3.13 percent $453.7 million from $468.4 million.
Lacey: Fell 3.65 percent to $245.6 million from $254.9 million.
Tumwater: Rose 6.19 percent to $112.4 million from $105.9 million.
Yelm: Fell 10.1 percent to $38.8 million from $43.2 million.
?We are now seeing the effects of Walmart,? Tumwater Finance Director Jim Hendrickson said, adding that the new store, which opened in July, was a ?major factor? in the city?s higher retail sales. The area also is home to Costco, The Home Depot and Walgreens.
Hendrickson said the recent retail growth has helped to offset other slower retail categories, such as construction, although there are signs that residential construction is on the upswing. So far in the first quarter of the year, the city has issued 58 single-family building permits compared to 36 in the first quarter of 2011, Tumwater permit manager Chris Carlson said.
The state also releases a separate category of retail sales called ?retail trade,? considered a better reflection of consumer purchases.
The year-over-year fourth-quarter data show:
Thurston County: Fell 0.22 percent to $525.8 million from $526.9 million.
Olympia: Rose 0.99 percent to $238.4 million from $236.1 million.
Lacey: Fell 7.75 percent to $151.7 million from $164.5 million.
Tumwater: Rose 13.09 percent to $61.4 million from $54.3 million.
Yelm: Rose 0.39 percent to $25.2 million from $25.1 million.
A closer look at the Tumwater data shows growth in several retail categories: Sales of electronics and appliances more than doubled, rising 101.4 percent to $1.8 million from $935,000 in the year-over-year fourth-quarter period. Sales at general-merchandise stores rose 21.8 percent to $37 million from $30.4 million.
In Olympia, new- and used-car sales rose 6.3 percent to $61 million from $57.4 million. In Lacey, construction retail sales rose 12.6 percent to 27.3 million from $24.3 million, but sales at general-merchandise stores fell 9.4 percent to $62.3 million from $68.8 million.
Note: Due to rounding, percentage changes might be slightly different from those released by the state Department of Revenue.
Rolf Boone: 360-754-5403
rboone@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/bizblog
Twitter: @rolf_boone
sloth sofia vergara birth control pill recall ground hog day florida primary results black history groundhogs day
No comments:
Post a Comment