MONEY: CARREIRA: Accommodation up, retail and restaurant and bar sales down

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In September, Cochise Countys inflation-adjusted accommodation sales were up, while retail and restaurant and bar sales were down, compared to Septemberlastyear.

Countywide retail sales were down 9.4 percent in September, after adjusting for inflation. Retail sales countywide have been down in eight of the past 10 months in the year-over-year comparisons, following growth in seven of eight months. For the first nine months of 2014, retail sales were down 5.3 percent compared to the same periodlastyear.

At the state level, retail sales were up 5.8 percent in September. For the first nine months of the year, statewide retail sales were up 3 percent after theinflationadjustment.

Cochise Countys restaurant and bar sales were down 1.4 percent in September, after adjusting for inflation. For the first nine months of the year, however, sales were up 2 percent. Sales have been up in six of the most recent11months.

Statewide restaurant and bar sales were up 7.8 percent in September and 6.2 percent for the first nine months oftheyear.

Accommodation sales countywide were up 2.7 percent in September compared to September 2013. Accommodation sales include hotel, motel, RV Park, and other temporary lodging stays of less than 30 days. In the first nine months of 2014, countywide accommodation receipts were up0.9percent.

The countywide accommodation industry has struggled in recent years with sales down in 37 of the past 48 months. Those declines were due largely to changes in travel policy for military personnel on temporary duty to Fort Huachuca, requiring many to now be billeted on post, along with federal budget cuts that have slowed temporary duty travel to the fort. Changes in the Armys lodging policies to introduce competitive bidding have also contributed to the declineinrevenue.

Despite the long-run weakening in countywide accommodation receipts, sales have been up in seven of the past 11 months helped along by ongoing construction of the new hospital in Sierra Vista and several other large nonresidential construction projects in other areas the county. Such projects bring in workers from other areas, giving a boost totemporarylodging.

Statewide accommodation receipts were up 6.1 percent in September, after the inflation adjustment, and were up 9.9 percent for the first nine monthsof2014.

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MONEY: CARREIRA: Accommodation up, retail and restaurant and bar sales down