July bookstore sales rose 4.9% over July 2017, according to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Census Department. Sales this July were $660 million, up from $629 million a year ago.
The July increase continues a solid rally for sales through brick-and-mortar stores after sales got off to a weak start in January. With several months of mid-single digit increases, bookstore sales for the first seven months of 2018 were $5.36 billion, down 0.5% from the comparable period a year ago.
For the entire retail segment, July sales were up 6.7% over July 2017 and sales for the seven-month period rose 5.5%.
