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ADVANCE MONTHLY SALES FOR RETAIL AND FOOD SERVICES SUMMARY - November 2012
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The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for November, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $412.4 billion, an increase of 0.3 percent (±0.5%)* from the previous month and 3.7 percent (±0.7%) above November 2011. Total sales for the September through November 2012 period were up 4.3 percent (±0.5%) from the same period a year ago. The September to October 2012 percent change was unrevised from -0.3 percent (±0.2%).
Retail trade sales were up 0.2 percent (±0.5%)* from October 2012 and 3.4 percent (±0.8%) above last year. Nonstore retailers were up 11.1 percent (±2.8%) from November 2011 and sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores were up 7.1 percent (±4.8%) from last year.
The scheduled release dates for 2013 are as follows: January 15, February 13, March 13, April 12, May 13, June 13, July 15, August 13, September 13, October 11, November 14, December 12.
The advance estimates are based on a subsample of the Census Bureau’s full retail and food services sample. A stratified random sampling method is used to select approximately 5,000 retail and food services firms whose sales are then weighted and benchmarked to represent the complete universe of over three million retail and food services firms. Responding firms account for approximately 65% of the MARTS dollar volume estimate. For an explanation of the measures of sampling variability included in this report, please see the Reliability of Estimates section on the last page of this publication.
* The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. The Census Bureau does not have sufficient statistical evidence to conclude that the actual change is different than zero.
The Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services for December is scheduled to be released January 15, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. EST.
TABLE 1A. ESTIMATED MONTHLY SALES FOR RETAIL AND FOOD SERVICES, BY KIND OF BUSINESS--November 2012
Estimates adjusted for seasonal variations and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes.
(Total sales estimates are shown in millions of dollars and are based on data from the Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey, Monthly Retail Trade Survey, and administrative records.)(2)
(In Millions of dollars)
2012 2012 2012 2011 2011
NAICS(1) Kind of Business Nov(3) Oct Sep Nov Oct
Code (a) (p) (r) (r) (r)
Retail & food services, total.................... 412,403 411,308 412,705 397,678 396,633
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts)............ 336,805 336,717 336,676 325,930 325,254
Retail ....................................... 367,639 366,881 368,346 355,430 354,410
GAFO(4).......................................... (*) 99,545 99,599 98,826 98,615
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers.................... 75,598 74,591 76,029 71,748 71,379
4411,4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers................. 68,797 67,683 69,133 64,744 64,429
442 Furniture & home furnishings stores.............. 8,031 7,954 7,998 7,565 7,543
443 Electronics & appliance stores.................... 8,439 8,235 8,334 8,525 8,761
44311,13 Appl., T.V. & camera........................... (*) 6,114 6,148 6,263 6,413
44312 Computer & software stores...................... (*) 2,121 2,186 2,262 2,348
444 Building material & garden eq. & supplies dealers 25,030 24,645 24,940 23,747 24,144
4441 Building mat. & supplies dealers................ (*) 20,801 20,810 19,943 20,268
445 Food & beverage stores........................... 53,386 53,538 53,243 51,895 51,747
4451 Grocery stores.................................. 47,804 48,048 47,765 46,571 46,428
4453 Beer, wine & liquor stores...................... (*) 3,740 3,711 3,677 3,651
446 Health & personal care stores.................... 22,903 22,767 22,790 22,880 23,013
44611 Pharmacies & drug stores........................ (*) 18,930 18,825 19,260 19,311
447 Gasoline stations................................ 45,431 47,326 46,856 45,061 44,288
448 Clothing & clothing accessories stores........... 20,362 20,177 20,109 19,141 19,034
44811 Men's clothing stores........................... (*) (S) (S) (S) (S)
44812 Women's clothing stores......................... (*) 3,557 3,505 3,291 3,242
4482 Shoe stores..................................... (*) 2,393 2,421 2,319 2,307
451 Sporting goods, hobby, book & music stores....... 7,635 7,600 7,491 7,130 7,169
452 General merchandise stores....................... 51,953 52,427 52,522 53,381 53,004
4521 Department stores (ex. L.D.).................... 14,964 15,092 15,216 15,436 15,333
4521 Department stores (incl. L.D.)(5)............... (*) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)
4529 Other general merchandise stores................ (*) 37,335 37,306 37,945 37,671
45291 Warehouse clubs & supercenters................. (*) 32,271 32,282 33,296 33,130
45299 All other gen. merchandise stores.............. (*) 5,064 5,024 4,649 4,541
453 Miscellaneous store retailers.................... 10,343 10,204 10,231 9,692 9,693
454 Nonstore retailers............................... 38,528 37,417 37,803 34,665 34,635
4541 Electronic shopping & mail-order houses......... (*) 29,335 29,807 26,576 26,674
722 Food services & drinking places.................. 44,764 44,427 44,359 42,248 42,223
(*) Advance estimates are not available for this kind of business.
(NA) Not available (S) Suppressed (a) Advance estimate (p) Preliminary estimate (r) Revised estimate
(1) For a full description of the NAICS codes used in this table, see http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics
(2) Estimates are concurrently adjusted for seasonal variation and for holiday and trading day differences, but not for price changes. Concurrent seasonal adjustment
uses all available unadjusted estimates as input to the X-12 ARIMA program. The factors derived from the program are used in calculating all seasonally
adjusted estimates shown in this table. Year-to-date seasonally adjusted sales estimates are not tabulated. Adjustment factors and explanatory material can be found
on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/retail
(3) Advance estimates are based on early reports obtained from a small sample of firms selected from the larger Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS) sample.
All other estimates are from the MRTS sample.
(4) GAFO represents firms which specialize in department store types of merchandise and is comprised of furniture & home furnishings (442), electronics & appliances (443),
clothing & clothing accessories(448), sporting goods, hobby, book, and music (451), general merchandise(452), office supply, stationery, and gift stores(4532).
(5) Estimates include data for leased departments operated within department stores. Data for this line are not included in broader kind-of-business totals.
TABLE 1B. ESTIMATED MONTHLY SALES FOR RETAIL AND FOOD SERVICES, BY KIND OF BUSINESS--November 2012
Estimates not adjusted for seasonal variations and holiday and trading-day differences and price changes.
(In Millions of dollars and Annual Percent Change)
11 month total
% Chg. 2012 2012 2012 2011 2011
NAICS(1) Kind of Business 2012 from Nov(2) Oct Sep Nov Oct
Code 2011 (a) (p) (r)
Retail & food services, total.................... 4,418,874 5.5 414,571 404,373 391,105 395,724 384,345
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts)............ 3,603,573 4.9 346,050 331,872 319,583 330,984 317,494
Retail ....................................... 3,935,161 5.2 371,821 360,301 347,544 355,969 341,995
GAFO(3).......................................... (*) (*) (*) 93,932 91,848 107,147 93,453
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers.................... 815,301 8.0 68,521 72,501 71,522 64,740 66,851
4411,4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers................. 738,565 8.7 61,917 65,179 64,778 57,946 59,790
44111 New car dealers................................ (*) (*) (*) 54,772 54,370 49,240 50,532
4413 Auto parts, acc. & tire stores.................. (*) (*) (*) 7,322 6,744 6,794 7,061
442 Furniture & home furnishings stores.............. 86,079 8.2 8,641 7,620 7,814 8,110 7,098
4421 Furniture stores................................ (*) (*) (*) 3,864 4,233 4,185 3,784
4422 Home furnishings stores......................... (*) (*) (*) 3,756 3,581 3,925 3,314
443 Electronics & appliance stores.................... 86,445 -0.8 9,986 7,280 7,436 9,969 7,695
44311,13 Appl., T.V. & camera........................... (*) (*) (*) 5,411 5,521 7,340 5,643
44312 Computer & software stores...................... (*) (*) (*) 1,869 1,915 2,629 2,052
444 Building material & garden eq. & supplies dealers 272,297 6.0 24,601 25,762 23,353 23,222 24,018
4441 Building mat. & supplies dealers................ (*) (*) (*) 22,049 20,165 19,764 20,390
445 Food & beverage stores........................... 576,812 3.5 53,609 52,924 51,689 51,730 51,298
4451 Grocery stores.................................. 518,451 3.3 47,804 47,519 46,475 46,338 46,057
4453 Beer, wine & liquor stores...................... (*) (*) (*) 3,676 3,551 3,725 3,593
446 Health & personal care stores.................... 249,921 1.2 22,582 22,949 21,468 22,468 22,622
44611 Pharmacies & drug stores........................ (*) (*) (*) 19,328 17,714 19,048 19,214
447 Gasoline stations................................ 503,885 4.1 43,296 47,894 46,481 42,312 44,421
448 Clothing & clothing accessories stores........... 208,195 6.3 22,614 18,990 18,392 20,787 18,095
44811 Men's clothing stores........................... (*) (*) (*) 734 712 766 740
44812 Women's clothing stores......................... (*) (*) (*) 3,482 3,337 3,505 3,180
44814 Family clothing stores.......................... (*) (*) (*) 7,431 7,069 8,587 7,209
4482 Shoe stores..................................... (*) (*) (*) 2,168 2,237 2,326 2,129
451 Sporting goods, hobby, book & music stores....... 77,900 6.5 8,063 6,498 7,027 7,472 6,051
452 General merchandise stores....................... 559,979 1.0 57,072 50,170 48,153 57,735 51,324
4521 Department stores (ex. L.D.).................... 157,303 -0.7 18,079 13,941 13,564 18,244 14,425
4521 Department stores (incl. L.D.)(4)............... (*) (*) (*) 14,161 13,784 18,551 14,661
4529 Other general merchandise stores................ (*) (*) (*) 36,229 34,589 39,491 36,899
45291 Warehouse clubs & supercenters................. (*) (*) (*) 31,271 30,022 34,461 32,467
45299 All other gen. merchandise stores.............. (*) (*) (*) 4,958 4,567 5,030 4,432
453 Miscellaneous store retailers.................... 110,092 7.4 10,205 10,675 9,947 9,487 9,810
454 Nonstore retailers............................... 388,255 11.9 42,631 37,038 34,262 37,937 32,712
4541 Electronic shopping & mail-order houses......... (*) (*) (*) 28,866 27,363 29,606 25,047
722 Food services & drinking places.................. 483,713 7.4 42,750 44,072 43,561 39,755 42,350
(*) Advance estimates are not available for this kind of business.
(NA) Not available (a) Advance estimate (p) Preliminary estimate (r) Revised estimate
(1) For a full description of the NAICS codes used in this table, see http://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics
(2) Advance estimates are based on early reports obtained from a small sample of firms selected from the larger Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS) sample.
All other estimates are from the MRTS sample.
(3) GAFO represents firms which specialize in department store types of merchandise and is comprised of furniture & home furnishings (442), electronics & appliances (443),
clothing & clothing accessories(448), sporting goods, hobby, book, and music (451), general merchandise(452), office supply, stationery, and gift stores(4532).
(4) Estimates include data for leased departments operated within department stores. Data for this line are not included in broader kind-of-business totals.
TABLE 2A. ESTIMATED CHANGE IN SALES FOR RETAIL AND FOOD SERVICES, BY KIND OF BUSINESS--November 2012
Estimates adjusted for seasonal variations and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes
(Estimates are shown as percents and are based on data from the Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey,
Monthly Retail Trade Survey, and administrative records.)(*)
Nov Oct
2012 2012
adv. prel.
from-- from--
NAICS Kind of Business Oct Nov Sep Oct
Code 2012 2011 2012 2011
(p) (r) (r) (r)
Retail & food Services, total.................... +0.3 +3.7 -0.3 +3.7
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts ).......... 0.0 +3.3 0.0 +3.5
Retail .................................. +0.2 +3.4 -0.4 +3.5
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers.................... +1.4 +5.4 -1.9 +4.5
4411,4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers............... +1.6 +6.3 -2.1 +5.1
442 Furniture & home furnishings stores.............. +1.0 +6.2 -0.6 +5.4
443 Electronics & appliance stores................... +2.5 -1.0 -1.2 -6.0
444 Building material & garden eq. & supplies dealers +1.6 +5.4 -1.2 +2.1
445 Food & beverage stores........................... -0.3 +2.9 +0.6 +3.5
4451 Grocery stores.................................. -0.5 +2.6 +0.6 +3.5
446 Health & personal care stores.................... +0.6 +0.1 -0.1 -1.1
447 Gasoline stations................................ -4.0 +0.8 +1.0 +6.9
448 Clothing & clothing accessories stores........... +0.9 +6.4 +0.3 +6.0
451 Sporting goods, hobby, book & music stores........ +0.5 +7.1 +1.5 +6.0
452 General merchandise stores....................... -0.9 -2.7 -0.2 -1.1
4521 Department stores (ex. L.D.).................... -0.8 -3.1 -0.8 -1.6
453 Miscellaneous stores retailers................... +1.4 +6.7 -0.3 +5.3
454 Nonstore retailers............................... +3.0 +11.1 -1.0 +8.0
722 Food services & drinking places.................. +0.8 +6.0 +0.2 +5.2
(p) Preliminary estimate (r) Revised estimate
(*) Estimates shown in this table are derived from adjusted estimates provided in Table 1A of this report.
TABLE 2B. ESTIMATED CHANGE IN SALES FOR RETAIL AND FOOD SERVICES, BY KIND OF BUSINESS--November 2012
Data not adjusted for seasonal variations and holiday and trading-day differences and price changes.
(Estimates are shown as percents and are based on data from the Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey,
Monthly Retail Trade Survey, and administrative records.)(*)
Nov Oct
2012 2012
adv. prel.
from-- from--
NAICS Kind of Business Oct Nov Sep Oct
Code 2012 2011 2012 2011
(p) (r) (r) (r)
Retail & food Services, total.................... +2.5 +4.8 +3.4 +5.2
Total (excl. motor vehicle & parts ).......... +4.3 +4.6 +3.8 +4.5
Retail .................................. +3.2 +4.5 +3.7 +5.4
441 Motor vehicle & parts dealers.................... -5.5 +5.8 +1.4 +8.5
4411,4412 Auto & other motor veh. dealers................ -5.0 +6.9 +0.6 +9.0
442 Furniture & home furnishings stores.............. +13.4 +6.5 -2.5 +7.4
443 Electronics & appliance stores................... +37.2 +0.2 -2.1 -5.4
444 Building material & garden eq. & supplies dealers -4.5 +5.9 +10.3 +7.3
445 Food & beverage stores........................... +1.3 +3.6 +2.4 +3.2
4451 Grocery stores.................................. +0.6 +3.2 +2.2 +3.2
446 Health & personal care stores.................... -1.6 +0.5 +6.9 +1.4
447 Gasoline stations................................ -9.6 +2.3 +3.0 +7.8
448 Clothing & clothing accessories stores........... +19.1 +8.8 +3.3 +4.9
451 Sporting goods, hobby, book & music stores........ +24.1 +7.9 -7.5 +7.4
452 General merchandise stores....................... +13.8 -1.1 +4.2 -2.2
4521 Department stores (ex. L.D.).................... +29.7 -0.9 +2.8 -3.4
453 Miscellaneous stores retailers................... -4.4 +7.6 +7.3 +8.8
454 Nonstore retailers............................... +15.1 +12.4 +8.1 +13.2
722 Food services & drinking places.................. -3.0 +7.5 +1.2 +4.1
(p) Preliminary estimate (r) Revised estimate
(*) Estimates shown in this table are derived from not adjusted estimates provided in Table 1B of this report.
SOURCE: Advance Monthly Sales for Retail Trade and Food Services--November 2012 (Press Release available without charge from Public Information Office, Bureau of the Census Washington, D.C. 20233). Survey methodology and measures of sampling variability are documented in the Advance Press Release. Questions concerning this report should be directed to Mr. Ian Thomas (301) 763-2713.