“Taxable retail sales increased 4.7 percent to $24.1 billion during the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, the Washington State Department of Revenue reported today [July 19].

In Pierce County, all taxable retail sales increased 2.36 percent compared to the same period last year and Thurston County saw even more of an increase with a 2.98 percent change. In Lewis County all taxable retail sales increased 2.6 percent compared to the Q1 2011,” quoting the Business Examiner.
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Results for the City of Yelm:
The City of Yelm continues to lag behind Thurston County and the county’s major cities for quarterly taxable retail sales, according to the WA State Dept. of Revenue report released July 19.
Yelm is the only major retail area in the county reporting 3 consecutive quarters of taxable sales declines.

The year-over-year first-quarter 2012 data shows:

– Thurston County: Rose 2.98 percent to $885.5 million from $859.8 million.

– Olympia: Rose 0.24 percent $400.1 million from $399.1 million.

– Lacey: Rose 5.90 percent to $217.4 million from $205.3 million.

– Tumwater: Rose 7.01 percent to $97.5 million from $91.1 million.

– Yelm: Fell 1.97 percent to $35.6 million from $36.4 million.

Yelm’s taxable retail sales [which determines tax revenue coming into city coffers] have continued to lag behind other major county cities for 3 consecutive quarters now:
– 4th quarter, 2011, Yelm’s taxable revenue fell 10.10 percent
– 3rd quarter, 2011, Yelm’s taxable revenue fell 8.91 percent

UPDATE: August 1, 2012
Rolf Boone reported these retail sales numbers in The Olympian:

“Thurston County and two other major cities in the county Lacey and Yelm also showed modest growth, an improvement over the fourth quarter of 2011, when retail-sales results mostly were flat.”

“Here are the retail-trade numbers for the county and its largest cities for the same year-over-year period.

Thurston County: Rose 2.17 percent to $447 million from $437.5 million.

Olympia: Rose 1.51 percent to $202 million from $199 million.

Lacey: Fell 4.36 percent to $122.6 million from $128.2 million.

Tumwater: Rose 23.72 percent to $53.9 million from $43.6 million.

Yelm: Rose 5.1 percent to $22.2 million from $21.1 million.”
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