CHICAGO – The West and Northeast reported small increases in August sales from one year ago, while operators in the Midwest and South saw their collective sales fail to reach August 2010 levels, according to the latest AmericanDrycleaner.com StatShot survey.
When comparing first-half profits for 2011 to those for 2010, the only region reporting growth was the West.
In comparing August 2011 sales to August 2010, the West saw a 0.8% increase. Sales in the Northeast rose 0.7%. The South saw its collective sales fall 1.2% from August 2010, while sales in the Midwest dropped 3.2%.
First-half profits this year in the West topped 2010’s first-half results by 1.8%. The other regions reported declining profits when compared to the previous year’s January through June: South, down 3.9%; Northeast, down 5%; and the Midwest, down 6.2%.
“Sales are up but, as you see, profits are not up as much because expenses are also up,” writes an operator from the South.
