Clark County store owners saw their combined taxable retail sales crawl back over $2 billion to near record levels last year, up 5.8 percent from 2011.
According to Washington Department of Revenue statistics, retail sales peaked in the county in 2007 when store-only taxable sales reached $2.12 billion. The recovery since 2010 has been slow. However, last year, most sales categories showed strong increases:
• New and used vehicle sales totaled $300.3 million, up $45 million over 2011.
• Building material sales and garden supplies purchased through retail stores reached $211.3 million, up $16.8 million.
• Sales at Clark County’s 731 restaurants and other food outlets totaled $454.6 million, up $23.6 million from 2011.
Among last year’s few weaknesses were sales at eight local department stores, where total sales of $137.3 million were down slightly from $140.0 million a year earlier and at area sporting goods stores with sales of $60.1 million, down $6 million from 2011. Ecommerce and mail-order sales in the county climbed to $56.4 million, up more than $8 million from the prior year.
Amy Price, Riverview Bank vice president and branch manager in Battle Ground, confirmed that consumers and business owners seem to be gaining confidence in the local economy.
“Businesses are generating cash flow and (bank) deposit totals are increasing,” Price said. “We’ve got a lot more mortgage loan business and more people seem to have the confidence to apply for equity lines of credit.”
Price said this year construction-related businesses have extended work on the calendar.
If Clark County’s store-only retail sales are combined with non-retail sectors such as construction, wholesale trade, manufacturing as well as arts, entertainment and recreation, the county industries and businesses generated a total of $4.45 billion in total taxable retail sales, up 6.2 percent from 2011. That compares favorably with a statewide year-over-year increase of 5.1 percent.
After peaking in 2007, retail sales in the county sank in 2008 and again in 2009 before notching modest improvements in 2010 and 2011.
Statewide, taxable retail sales grew to $109.1 billion during the 2012 calendar year. Store-only retail sales represented about half the sales total at $50.5 billion. Among industries statewide, construction was up 7.6 percent to $16.7 billion, accommodations and food services increased 6.3 percent to $12.6 billion with motor vehicles and parts sales reaching $11.4 billion, up 11.6 percent.
Clark County far out-paced surrounding counties in Southwest Washington in terms of economic improvement tied to retail-sales.
Cowlitz County’s retail sales advanced 2.4 percent last year. Klickitat, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties all reported declines, down 5.5 percent, 8.7 percent and 7.2 percent respectively.
