Retail sales in Cochise County down, but bar and resturant sales were up in June

While retail sales were down in Cochise County for the month of June, restaurant and bar sales went up in comparison to last year, according to a report by the business group, Cochise Economy.

Retail sales across Arizona dropped by 2.4% when compared to the same time a year ago. In Cochise County, that decline was a sharper drop of nearly 4%.

Across the county, the retail sales numbers are mixed. In Benson, Sierra Vista, Bisbee, and Huachuca City, retail sales were down in June while sales were up in Willcox, Tombstone, and Douglas.

Looking at the breakdown by municipality, Benson saw a decline of 6.5% in retail sales in June. In Bisbee, that downward trend in retail sales was 11% less in June in comparison to last year.

Sierra Vista saw a 4.2% decline in retail sales in June. Huachuca City saw the sharpest decline in retail sales in June with a 14.4% drop.

Retail sales were up by 5.7% in Douglas for the month of June. In Tombstone, retail sales had a 1.1% increase for June. Willcox saw the highest increase in retail sales across the county in June with a 12.6% increase.

The report by Cochise Economy said that inflation plays a role — a lesser role but still a role — in setting the scale and direction of sales estimates.

But this summer’s dry monsoon didn’t stop Cochise Countians from dining and drinking out. Restaurant and bar sales were up by 7.5% in June, compared to an overall decline of 6.5% statewide. Douglas saw the largest increase in bar and restaurant sales in the county in June with an increase of 28.9%.

One area that is also seeing an increase in traffic in Cochise County is the hospitality industry, namely hotels and motels. Cochise Economy reports that lodging receipts increased by 2.2% in June in comparison to last year. In looking over the past six months as a whole, the overall total is down by 8.2%.

You can read the full report here.