Tag Archives: retail sales

Kitsap retail sales climbed 7 percent in second quarter

shipping1_13446451_ver1-0_640_480Taxable retail sales reached $1.03 billion in Kitsap in the second quarter of the year, an increase of 7.3 percent from the same period of 2015.

Sales grew at a slower rate than in previous quarters.

Kitsap enjoyed an 8 to 11 percent year-over-year increase in sales in each of the past five quarters, according to the Department of Revenue.


Retail trade sales (sales made by stores, dealerships and other businesses selling merchandise to consumers) totaled $550 million in Kitsap in the second quarter of 2016, up 7.4 percent from 2015.

Here’s a look at how second quarter sales in Kitsap compared with other Puget Sound counties:

Sales by industry

Major retail trade industries reporting increased sales included auto dealers and parts stores (up 14.3 percent), building and garden material suppliers (up 11.6 percent),  drug and health stores (up 24.4 percent), and general merchandise stores (up 1 percent).

Outside of retail trade, construction climbed 13.3 percent and accommodations and food services rose 7.4 percent.

Here’s a full breakdown of sales by industry (click the full screen button so you won’t strain your eyeballs):

q.2.2016.retail by Tad Sooter on Scribd

State predicts an increase in holiday season hiring

The holidays should be brighter this year for seasonal workers in Washington.

State economists predict increased holiday hiring by retailers this fall and winter, after two years of decline.

Employment Security Department projects 12,726 holiday hires statewide in the fourth quarter of 2016, compared with 10,542 in 2015.

The same report forecasts 375 hires in Kitsap county this year, up from 333 last year.

General merchandise stores do the bulk of the hiring.

“Healthier wage growth amidst an improving employment situation should help raise holiday sales to a level that boosts hiring,” Turek said in the release.

2016-holiday-hiring

Fourth quarter retail sales surged in the past few years, but seasonal staffing didn’t followed suit.

Turek told me statewide holiday hiring peaked in 2013 at 16,500. Hires dropped to 14,753 in 2014 and plunged to 10,542 in 2015, falling well short of the state’s forecast.

The decline was partially attributed to retailers moving away from brick-and-mortar storefronts to focus on online sales. Downsizing by food stores like Haggen also took a toll, Turek said.

This year, Turek sees fewer stores restructuring and believes improving employment and wages will bolster seasonal hiring.

Kitsap retail sales up 10 percent in first quarter

Retail sales increased 9.7 percent in Kitsap County during the first three months of the year, outpacing the statewide growth in sales.

shoes6_22899584_ver1.0_640_480Kitsap establishments reported $914 million in taxable sales in the first quarter of 2016, compared with $834 million in the first quarter of 2015, according to the state Department of Revenue.

Retail trade sales (subset of retail sales that includes transactions made by dealerships, stores and other businesses selling merchandise directly to consumers) were up 6.7 percent, marking the largest percentage increase in the region.

Statewide, retail sales grew 8.9 percent in the first quarter and retail trade sales grew 5.1 percent.

Here’s a chart showing sales growth in Puget Sound area counties:

Sales by industry

Major retail trade industries reporting increased sales included auto dealers and parts stores (up 12.4 percent), building and garden material suppliers (up 10.7 percent),  drug and health stores (up 31.3 percent), and sporting goods, toys, book and music stores (up 7.1 percent).

General merchandise stores experienced a 1.5 percent dip in sales, after enjoying a strong fourth quarter.

Outside of retail trade, building construction climbed 24.7 percent, manufacturing 7.1 percent, wholesale trade 16.5 percent, and accommodations and food services 12.5 percent.

Here’s a full breakdown of sales by industry (click the full screen button to avoid squinting):

Kitsap retail sales up 10 percent in fourth quarter

20051225-013527-pic-742444482Kitsap retailers had cause to celebrate during the 2015 holiday season.

The $1.03 billion in taxable retail sales reported by county businesses during the last three months of the year marked a 10.4 percent increase from the same period of 2014.

Kitsap posted the largest percent increase in fourth quarter sales of any county in the Puget Sound region, according stats from the state Department of Revenue. 

Retail trade sales — sales made by dealerships, stores and other businesses selling merchandise directly consumers — were up 7.7 percent.

Major retail trade industries reporting increased sales included auto dealers and parts stores (up 11.4 percent), building and garden material suppliers (up 12.5 percent), and general merchandise stores (up 5.1 percent).

Outside of retail trade, building construction was up an impressive 25.4 percent, manufacturing up 7 percent, wholesale trade 16.3 percent, information up 14.5 percent, and accommodations up 26.1 percent.

(Click here to see the year-over-year change in sales every industry in Kitsap.)

Annual sales

With the fourth quarter stats in hand we can now see how 2015 sales stacked up to previous calendar years.

Retail sales in Kitsap increased by 9.96 percent from 2014 to 2015, and 26 percent from five years ago.

Here’s a chart showing annual retail sales in Kitsap for the past five years:

Third quarter retail sales topped $1 billion

Taxable retail sales in Kitsap County topped $1 billion for the first time in the third quarter of 2015.

The $1.01 billion in sales reported from July through September marked a 9 percent increase from the same period of 2014, according to the Department of Revenue. 

Retail trade sales were also up about 9 percent in the third quarter, with $524 million reported. Retail trade sales are sales made by dealerships, stores, online sellers and other traditional retailers.

These were some third quarter highlights:

  • Sales by new and used auto dealerships were up 19 percent
  • Sales of building materials were up 8.6 percent
  • Sales by general merchandise stores were up 6 percent
  • Construction was up 9.25 percent
  • Wholesale trade was up 11.4 percent
  • Information was up 10.5 percent
  • Accommodations and food services up 8.9 percent

Kitsap’s growth in retail trade sales set the pace for Puget Sound counties in the third quarter:  

The jump in third quarter retail sales came on the heels of an 11 percent increase in second quarter sales. We should see sales figures from the fourth quarter of 2015 a few months from now.

Kitsap sees first drop in legal marijuana sales

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Kitsap County’s first recreational marijuana store opened in August of 2014 and sales soared for the next 14 months.

That trend changed abruptly in November, when the county saw its first month-to-month decline in retail marijuana sales.

Gross sales dipped by nearly 9 percent between October to November, according to numbers posted by the state Liquor and Cannabis Board:

The decline in sales wasn’t limited to Kitsap. Washington recorded its first statewide drop in retail marijuana revenue back in July, following a restructuring of the excise tax, and sales slipped again in November:

 

A one-month falloff in sales is far from a trend, but the decline does come at an interesting time for the industry.

The Liquor and Cannabis Board announced plans last week to lift the cap on retail licenses, as the state prepares to roll the marginally-regulated medical marijuana system into the tightly-controlled recreational marijuana system. The number of stores allowed in Kitsap would increase from 10 to 20.

Some legal marijuana sellers believe the market is already becoming saturated in Bremerton and Port Orchard, pointing to a plateau in per-store sales this fall.

The chart below shows gross sales for each of the seven active marijuana stores in Kitsap (an eighth store, called The Reef, just opened in Bremerton, and a tribally-owned store opened in Suquamish).

You can wave your mouse over the store names to highlight their sales:

Click here for more Kitsap marijuana industry coverage.

Kitsap retail sales jumped 11 percent in second quarter

Q2.retail.graphicTaxable retail sales in Kitsap County took a big jump in the second quarter of 2015, increasing 11 percent from the same quarter of 2014.

That was the largest year-over-year jump in quarterly sales for the county since the start of the recession.

Sales totaled more than $963 million in the second quarter, according to the Department of Revenue. 

Statewide, retail sales reached $33.9 billion, marking a 9.4 percent increase from the same quarter of 2014.

Retail trade sales

retail trade sales

Sales reported by Kitsap’s retail trade industry in the second quarter were up 10 percent from the same period of 2014.

Retail trade accounted for about $512 million of Kitsap’s taxable sales in the second quarter.

Retail trade sales include sales made by stores, dealerships, online sellers and other traditional retailers.

County comparison

Here’s a look at how Kitsap’s second quarter sales stacked with other Puget Sound counties:

 

Kitsap highlights

The auto, building material and construction sectors continued their resurgence, posting double-digit increases from the second quarter of 2014.

Though a much smaller player by sales volume, manufacturing enjoyed a 19 percent increase in taxable sales.

Here’s a look at year-over-year growth for a few major industries in Kitsap:

Sales by industry

And finally, I’ve posted a full breakdown of second quarter retail sales by industry for Kitsap County:

Kitsap retail sales up 8 percent in first quarter

Retail sales got off to a fast start in Kitsap in 2015.

Taxable sales in the county were up 8.1 percent in the first quarter of the year, compared with the same period of 2014, according to the Department of Revenue. That was just shy of the 9 percent growth recorded statewide.

Retail trade sales (sales made by stores, dealerships and other sellers of goods) were up 8.2 percent in Kitsap, outpacing statewide growth.

Retail trade sales in Kitsap are now higher than they were before the recession. Sales in other industries, like construction, manufacturing, and hospitality, are still catching up.

Which Kitsap businesses have bounced back?

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Retail sales in Kitsap County, and just about everywhere else, took a nose dive after 2007.

Now many businesses are bouncing back. Kitsap retailers are on pace to this year to match pre-recession sales volumes. Taxable sales in trades outside traditional retail are gradually rebuilding as well:

To find out which sectors are recovering, and which are still digging out of the recession, I used a recently-released taxable sales report for 2013 to see how industries faired locally last year compared with 2007. This is what I found:

 

Booming

E-commerce: While still a small industry in Kitsap (about 3 percent of all retail trade sales), e-commerce grew in bounds over the last seven years. Online sales more than doubled between 2007 and 2013.

Fuel stations: Just about everyone buys gas (and munchies from convenience stores). Sales at fuel stations and attached mini-marts grew 46 percent. Continue reading →