Holiday Sales
Tables/Charts:
Holiday Sales and Holiday’s Share of Total Retail Sales, 2008 – 2010
Summary Points:
- The holiday shopping season accounted for over 18 percent of total retail sales last year, making November and December the busiest months of the year for retailers.
- For many retail sectors, holiday sales are particularly important. For example, 28.9 percent of jewelry stores' total annual sales and 24.3 percent of department stores' total annual sales occurred during the 2010 holiday season.
| Holiday Sales* and Holiday's Share of Total Retail Sales, 2008-2010 | ||||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | ||||
| Sales | Share | Sales | Share | Sales | Share | |
| Total Retail (Nov. & Dec.) | 652,147 | 16.5% | 679,891 | 18.5% | 737,855 | 18.8% |
| Total Industry Sales** | 495,568 | 18.6 | 504,861 | 19.4 | 538,150 | 19.7 |
| Furniture & Home Furnishing | 17,565 | 17.4 | 16,848 | 18.8 | 17,281 | 18.9 |
| Electronics & Appliance Stores | 23,768 | 21.8 | 23,006 | 23.0 | 23,185 | 22.6 |
| Clothing & Clothing Accessories | 45,798 | 21.1 | 46,705 | 22.4 | 49,632 | 22.8 |
| Jewelry Stores | 7,506 | 25.4 | 8,340 | 29.5 | 8,568 | 28.9 |
| Sprtng. Gds., Hbby., Bk., & Music | 18,355 | 21.8 | 18,766 | 22.4 | 20,423 | 23.2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores | 7,505 | 20.2 | 7,915 | 21.0 | 8,743 | 21.7 |
| Book Stores | 3,117 | 18.4 | 3,072 | 18.4 | 3,172 | 19.2 |
| General Merchandise Stores | 124,404 | 20.8 | 124,390 | 21.0 | 128,538 | 21.1 |
| Department Stores | 47,011 | 23.6 | 45,198 | 24.0 | 45,352 | 24.3 |
| *Sales for the months of November and December. **NRF considers the Industry Sales category as where the bulk of holiday shopping occurs. The category includes all retail categories except motor vehicle and parts dealers, gasoline stations, and foodservice and drinking places. Source: Derived from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census data. | ||||||
 | Retail Industry Indicators 2011 © NRF Foundation www.nrffoundation.com |