County retail sales jump 7.3 percent

Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2000 | 12:36 p.m.

line SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- Car sales and business in bars and restaurants helped spur Nevada's economy to a 6.6 percent increase in taxable sales in November as the holiday shopping season opened.

The state Taxation Department reported Monday that taxable sales reached $2.3 billion, or about $44 million higher than November 1998.

Merchants in Clark County reported $1.6 billion in revenues, up 7.3 percent from November of a year ago.

"People are going out to eat and buying cars," says David Pursell, director of the department.

The department reported that taxable sales in eating and drinking places statewide rose 15.9 percent and volume was up 16.5 percent for auto dealers and gasoline.

The increase in the bar and restaurant business, Pursell said, is spurred by the opening of the new restaurants at the hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. Added to that is the growth of new shopping centers in Summerlin and Henderson that all feature new restaurants, he said.

"It sounds like a broken record but people have discretionary income," Pursell said.

General merchandise stores statewide reported a 12.5 percent gain in business this November compared to a year ago and miscellaneous retail rose by 12.1 percent.

The only soft spots statewide were in the sale of building materials and hardware stores, which fell .2 percent; and in grocery store volume, which dropped .4 percent.

The department said $170.3 million was collected from the sales tax, an increase of 12.2 percent from a year ago. The revenue is distributed between the state, local governments and the school districts.

Pursell said it was a good kickoff to the holiday buying season. He added he will be interested if it carries over into December. And he wonders what impact the Millennium celebration will have on taxable sales in Southern Nevada.

There were a "lot of people," who visited Clark County for the Millennium, but the number was lower than originally predicted.

Volume in the bars and restaurant rose by 18.8 percent to $332.2 million in Southern Nevada.

Car sales jumped 15.6 percent in the Las Vegas area to $201.8 million; general merchandise stores were up 17.3 percent to $1653.2 million; miscellaneous retail business rose to $197 million up 12.2 percent; sales of building materials and hardware were off 1.1 percent to $$97 million; apparel stores registered a 5.1 percent increase to $90 million and sales in home furniture rose 8.6 percent to $95.4 million.

The department reported taxable sales in Washoe County rose 5.2 percent to $380.9 million; Elko County jumped 15.3 percent to $61.2 million; Nye County experienced a 13.8 percent decline to $20.3 million in taxable sales; Carson City inched up .5 percent to $57.1 million in taxable sales and Douglas County registered $34.8 million , up 18 percent.