Summary of Findings


Hawaii had 2,202 wholesale establishments in 1992 with $8.0 billion
in sales. This represents a 10.2 percent increase in wholesale
establishments and a 49.2 percent increase in sales over 1987 according
to the 1992 Census of Wholesale Trade conducted by the Bureau of the
Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. 

Merchant wholesalers accounted for 85.6 percent or 1,885 of the total
establishments and 66.7 percent or $5.3 billion of the total sales in
1992 compared with 86.0 percent of the establishments and 70.2 percent
of the sales in 1987. Manufacturers' sales branches and offices with
141 establishments and $1.8 billion in sales and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants with 176 establishments and $817.4 million in
sales made up the rest of the wholesale trade total in 1992. 

Petroleum bulk stations and terminals were the largest group of
wholesalers by kind of business in terms of sales with $870.7 million
followed by general-line groceries wholesalers with $376.6 million and
drugs, drug proprietaries, and druggists' sundries wholesalers with
$349.7 million. Out of 69 kind of business groups, these three
accounted for 20.0 percent of the total sales in the State. 

Annual payroll for all wholesalers in the State was up from $415.1
million in 1987 to $624.5 million in 1992. Merchant wholesalers had
annual payroll of $509.5 million in 1992 while manufacturers' sales
branches and offices recorded $92.5 million and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants had $22.5 million. 

Employment by all wholesalers in Hawaii as of mid-March 1992 was
23,308, an increase of 15.6 percent since 1987. Merchant wholesalers
with 20,155 employees accounted for 86.5 percent of the total wholesale
employment in 1992 compared with 87.4 percent in 1987. 

Inventories of $787.8 million were held at wholesale establishments in
the State at the end of 1992. Merchant wholesalers held 86.8 percent of
these inventories while manufacturers' sales branches and sales offices
held 13.0 percent and agent, brokers, and commission merchants held .2
percent. Inventories of all wholesalers decreased during 1992 by .8
percent while those of merchant wholesalers remained unchanged. 

Payroll per employee in the State averaged $26.8 thousand for all
wholesalers in 1992, an increase of 30.1 percent since 1987. Merchant
wholesalers averaged $25.3 thousand per employee while manufacturers'
sales branches and offices was $39.0 thousand and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants were $28.9 thousand in 1992. 

Annual payroll as a percent of operating expenses for all wholesalers
decreased from 47.0 percent in 1987 to 46.9 percent in 1992. The ratio
for merchant wholesalers was 46.6 percent; for manufacturers' sales
branches and offices it was 48.2 percent; and for agents, brokers and
commission merchants it was 48.0 percent.