Bookstore sales continued their strong rebound from the lows of spring 2020. According to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau, bookstore sales soared 130% in May over May 2020, rising to $632 million.
Last April and May saw the weakest bookstore sales performances of 2020, with sales in May 2020 totaling just $275 million. Compared to May 2019, May sales this year were down 9.2%.
The jump in sales in the last two months has led to a 22.1% increase in bookstore sales in the first five months of 2021 compared to 2020, with sales hitting $2.97 billion. The retail segment in general continued to perform well in May, with sales up 27.2% in the month and ahead 23.8% in the January-May period.
