Modest Gain in Bookstore Sales in August
According to preliminary figures released by the Bureau of the Census, for the second month in a row, retail sales at bookstores showed a modest gain over the same period last year. Retail sales at bookstores in August were up 1.9 percent over August of last year. However, to date, bookstore sales are down 2.2 percent for the year.
Overall retail sales remain strong and continue to outperform bookstore sales. Overall retail sales of $365 billion for August 2005 were 9.9 percent ahead of the $332 billion reported in August 2004.