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February 1-15, 2004 Edition

November Bookstore

Sales Down 2.9 percent

WASHINGTON, D.C./1/14/04—The U.S. Census Bureau’s preliminary bookstore sales report shows sales declined to $1.04 billion in November, a drop of 2.9 percent. Overall, retail sales were up 4.9 percent that month. Bookstore sales over the first 11 months of the year rose 2.5 percent to $14.14 billion, compared to all other retail sectors which grew 5.4 percent