Another strong month for NAICS 444

Sales at retailers classified as building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers improved almost 10% year-over-year in the latest sales report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The December Advance Monthly Sales report showed the NAICS 444 group of retailers up 9.9%, compared to the prior year. The only sector higher among 13 tracked was Nonstore retailers, up 12.7% on the year. Furniture and home furnishing stores were also up 9.9% on the year.

The 444 classification includes lumberyards, home centers and hardware stores.

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Looking at the bigger picture of retail, the advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for December 2017, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $495.4 billion, an increase of 0.4% from the previous month, and 5.4 percent above December 2016.

Retail trade sales were up 0.3% from November 2017, and were up 5.6% from last year.