Retail sales began declining in Snohomish and Island counties and in Washington state even before the terrorist attacks last fall, according to the state Department of Revenue. Retail sales declined 1.89 percent statewide for the third quarter of 2001, the period from July through September. Countywide sales dropped 1.2 percent. Island County sales dropped 4.3 percent. Results for selected cities in the county include Edmonds, down 9.1 percent; Everett, down 5.7 percent; Lynnwood, down 0.5 percent; Marysville, down 1.6 percent; Mountlake Terrace, down 17.3 percent; and Oak Harbor, down 6.1 percent. The figures include consumer purchases as well as sales taxes paid by contractors, manufacturers and others in business.
The Bothell campus of the University of Washington is looking for companies and organizations that need help with international marketing projects. During spring quarter, students will work on the projects under the direction of instructor James Reinnoldt, who has 18 years of marketing management experience in Asia and the United States. “The ideal project topic will involve a marketing planning assignment that will help with promotion of local products and services in global markets,” he said. Interested companies can contact Reinnoldt by e-mail at jreinn@u.washington.edu for a copy of the project guidelines.
An important gauge of manufacturing activity ticked higher in January, suggesting that the battered sector is poised to emerge from its 1 1/2year slump, an industry group reported Friday. The Tempe, Ariz.-based Institute for Supply Management, formerly known as the National Association of Purchasing Management, said its index of business activity rose to 49.9 in January from a revised 48.1 percent in December. Analysts had been expecting a reading of 50. Despite the improvement, the manufacturing sector still shrank slightly for the 18th consecutive month. An index above 50 signifies expansion, while a figure below 50 shows contraction.
General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler AG all reported dramatically slower January sales on Friday as the power of cash-back and no-interest incentives appeared to lose steam. Foreign manufacturers who had mainly stayed on the sidelines of the incentive wars saw their sales mostly rise – and some reported record months. GM reported a 13 percent decline in January sales, while sales slumped 12.6 percent at Ford. Chrysler posted a more modest 9 percent decline last month from a year earlier.
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