Bookstore Sales Finish 2007 Up 1%

-- Publishers Weekly, 2/14/2008 7:15:00 AM

A relatively strong second half of 2007 resulted in a 1.1% increase in bookstore sales for 2007, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Sales for the year finished at $16.77 billion. According to Census data, this was the first time since 2005--the last Harry Potter year--that bookstore sales increased for the year. In December, a month that was not particularly good at the chains, sales rose 2.7%, to $2.11 billion. Sales for all of retail rose 4.1% in 2007 and increased 2.6% in December. Estimates for 2007 will be revised later this year.