Economist Available for State Retail Sales Analysis

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

February 27, 2012 Cooperative Extension

New data on taxable sales from 2010 to 2011 released by the Maine Bureau of Revenue Services shows a very slow and steady increase in sales activity, a sign that consumers remain cautious, according to University of Maine Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of economics.

McConnon is available to discuss the sales figures and additional implications. To reach Professor McConnon, contact George Manlove at (207) 581-3756.

Total taxable sales rose from $16.4 billion in 2010 by 3.6 percent, to $17 billion in 2011, with building supplies and automotive and transportation categories leading the market with a 6.4 percent increase and a 5.2 percent increase, respectively. Because of much lower spending increases in other categories, including food, general merchandise, restaurant and lodging business spending and others, the overall taxable sales figures show a 3.6 percent increase.

“We’re just growing very slowly,” says McConnon. “If you take into consideration inflation at 3.2 percent, overall sales growth was relatively flat.”

McConnon notes, also, that fourth-quarter taxable sales – which reflects holiday shopping — carried the year in sales gains. A comparison of fourth-quarter sales of building supplies for 2010 and 2011 reflected a 14.1 percent increase, from $522.3 million to $596 million. Auto and transportation, which does not include fuel purchases, rose 7.6 percent in the fourth-quarter comparison, from $786.5 million in 2010 to $846 million in 2011.

A comparison of all taxable sales in the fourth quarters of 2010 and 2011 shows a 4.9-percent jump, from $4.3 billion to $4.7 billion.

“The retail sector is a very important sector of Maine’s economy,” McConnon says, “and we often times look at it as an indicator of consumer spending. The overall finding is that spending increased in 2011, but very little.”

McConnon also observes that big box and department store sales declined by .4 percent while specialty stores (jewelry, sporting goods and mom and pop stores) were up 3.4 percent over the year-long analysis.

Taxable sales, though creeping up, still do not equal Maine’s sales levels in 2007 the year the recession started, according to McConnon, who notes that the increase in taxable retail spending in Maine recently correlates with rising consumer confidence in the stock market.

Contact: George Manlove, (207) 581-3756