Tales of a slowing economy have dominated the headlines lately, but retail sales in Utah were riding high as recently as last November.
Gross taxable retail sales and business purchases for November 2000 hit $2.12 billion for large, monthly sales taxpayers, according to a Utah State Tax Commission report. That represented a 7.7 percent increase over November 1999 and, after adjusting for seasonal trends, a 1.4 percent jump over October 2000.
Utah's taxable sales for the first nine months of 2000 stood at $27.84 billion, which was up 6.5 percent over the same period of 1999, the report said.
A separate Tax Commission report said retail sales for the July through September quarter of 2000 were up 6.1 percent over the same period in 1999.
"About half of the sectors appeared very healthy, while others bordered on anemic growth," the report said. "Retail trade sales . . . reported a gain of only 3.3 percent, with strong growth reported by department stores and miscellaneous shopping goods stores.
"This was less than our forecast, less than the 5 percent gain in nonfarm wages and less than the U.S. retail sales growth of 7 percent in the third quarter."
However, the report said, the third-quarter growth marked the continuation of a 12-year trend in Utah.
"With only one exception (. . . Persian Gulf War in early 1991), real growth in quarterly taxable sales has been positive since mid-1988," the report said.
Third-quarter 2000 taxable sales were generally strong for Wasatch Front counties when compared to the same period of 1999. Utah County's sales saw the largest growth, up 7.7 percent, while Salt Lake County's sales were up 6.1 percent, Weber County's rose 4.5 percent and Davis County's jumped 1.8 percent.
"Reflecting improved efforts to bring tourists up to Park City during the fall season, Summit County taxable sales rose 10 percent," the report said. "Sales in the usually robust Washington County rose 6.5 percent for the third consecutive quarter. In Cache County, sales grew 3.4 percent, similar to the slower trends found in Davis and Weber counties."
Among Wasatch Front cities, direct sales for the third quarter rose only 1.6 percent in Salt Lake City and Murray, while they jumped 6 percent in West Valley, 4.4 percent in Orem and 1.7 percent in Provo. Ogden's sales were up 3.2 percent, while Sandy saw a 9.2 percent gain.
Lindon sales were up 23 percent, and West Jordan sales rose 22.8 percent.
"Finally, sales rebounded in (the) oil-drilling centers of Roosevelt (up 30 percent) and Vernal (up 24 percent)," the report said.
E-mail: gkratz@desnews.com