L.A. County Retail Sales Rose 9.4% in ’99

Taxable retail sales shot up 9.4% in Los Angeles County last year, to $63 million, given continued improvements in the local economy, population growth and a healthy resale housing market, local economists said. Year-end figures compiled by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. also showed retail sales higher throughout the five-county Southern California region, with Orange County posting a 9.1% increase, and Riverside County, with the most growth, reaching 14.3%. The five-county region saw a total of $115.2 million in retail sales, which was about half of the $254 million in retail sales posted for the entire state in 1999. Jack Kyser, chief economist with LAEDC, said the figures are particularly good news for Los Angeles County, which saw retail sales growth of only 3.7% and 4% over the previous two years, respectively.