Cautious Consumers Kept Stores in Slump
It is getting to be an old song: recession-weary consumers take a wait-and-see posture toward the economy. The result: further decline in retail sales.
Orange County sales for the third quarter of 1991 dropped 4.5% to $4.2 billion compared to $4.4 billion in the same three months of 1990. Sales have dropped 4.8% from 1989 when retail sales hit a six-year high of $4.41 billion.
The state is faring only slightly better. Third-quarter sales declined statewide, but at only about half the rate of Orange County. Third quarter sales totaled $45.8 billion in 1990, falling 2% to $44.9 billion in the same quarter of 1991.
Twenty-one of Orange County’s 29 cities have reported sales declines for the quarter.
CITY-BY-CITY BREAKDOWN
(Chart in thousands of dollars)
Third Qtr. Third Qtr. % City 1991 1990 Change Anaheim $386,197 $401,855 - 3.9 Brea 115,976 105,912 + 9.5 Buena Park 144,808 159,975 - 9.5 Costa Mesa 371,335 427,148 -13.1 Cypress 46,017 41,106 +11.9 Dana Point 37,233 38,271 - 2.7 Fountain Valley 121,245 120,386 + 0.7 Fullerton 214,708 224,758 - 4.5 Garden Grove 206,567 223,637 - 7.6 Huntington Beach 292,158 305,445 - 4.4 Irvine 248,674 251,129 - 1.0 Laguna Beach 44,176 45,536 - 3.0 Laguna Niguel 65,343 50,385 +29.7 La Habra 74,289 83,156 -10.7 La Palma 9,178 9,185 - .08 Los Alamitos 25,924 29,507 -12.1 Mission Viejo 106,026 107,883 - 1.7 Newport Beach 171,574 188,193 - 8.8 Orange 274,250 298,153 - 8.0 Placentia 41,492 46,840 -11.4 San Clemente 45,024 47,742 - 5.7 San Juan Capistrano 55,502 59,473 - 6.7 Santa Ana 384,069 408,151 - 5.9 Seal Beach 26,271 25,600 + 2.6 Stanton 42,305 42,514 - 0.5 Tustin 161,706 151,915 + 6.4 Villa Park 3,007 2,620 +14.8 Westminster 167,477 175,334 - 4.5 Yorba Linda 39,846 33,613 +18.5
Source: State Board of Equalization
Countywide Retail Sales Third-quarter retail sales declined to their lowest level since 1988. Year-to-year change (in billions of dollars) ‘91: $4.2
Gains and Declines Only eight of 29 cities showed increases in retail sales, but four managed gains of more than 10% Researched by DALLAS M. JACKSON / Los Angeles Times
