U.S. 1Q retail sales rose 1.8% - Brief Article

Home Channel News, Feb 5, 2001

First-quarter 2001 sales growth for home centers and lumberyards by region, 2001 vs. 2000

New England

Portland and Stamford remain strong here due to multi-unit building. Single-unit construction has been weak, with Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, New Haven and Lowell all down more than 10 percent.

Up 0.8%

Mid-Atlantic

Newburgh is the strongest market in the region with sales up almost 15 percent. Buffalo-Niagara Falls and Bergen-Passaic are second best with sales up more than 7 percent.

Up 3.0%

East North Central

Ann Arbor and Columbus are the two best markets, with sales up less than 7 percent. Fort Wayne and Hamilton are the weakest. Chicago and Detroit are up slightly. Most of the rest show almost no change.

Up 0.7%

West North Central

The region shows a wide diversity in markets. For example, Sioux Falls is up 13 percent; Wichita is down about 12 percent.

Up 1.4%

South Atlantic

Washington, Miami, Tampa and Atlanta are up 5 percent or less. Tampa is the only market with a strong single-unit construction market. Most other markets show small changes or slight declines.

Up 1.2%

East South Central

The East South Central Region is the weakest of the nine regions. While Chattanooga and Knoxville are up about 4.5 percent, nine markets show year-over-year declines.

Down 1.3%

West South Central

The West South Central Region remains the strongest regions. Austin and Galveston are posting gains of 15 percent. Dallas and Houston are both up about 5 percent.

Up 4.6%

Mountain

Colorado Springs and Greeley are the best markets in the Mountain states with sales up at least 11 percent from a year ago. Phoenix, Pueblo and Salt Lake City are below a year ago.

Up 3.0%

Pacific

The Pacific Region is slowing. Los Angeles and Sacramento enjoy gains of more than 11 percent. Fresno, San Diego, Vallejo and Ventura are up about 4 percent.

Up 2.6%

Note: % change is given for 10 2001 vs. 10 2000. Sources: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, BMRI.