The following is the unedited transcript of the news release from the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce.


Sales.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that April 2008 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $390.3 billion, up 1.4 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised March level and were up 12.7 percent (+/-1.2%) from the April 2007 level. The March preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.7 billion or 0.2 percent. April sales of durable goods were up 2.3 percent (+/-0.8%) from last month and were up 7.3 percent (+/-1.8%) from a year ago.

Compared to last month, lumber and other construction materials were up 5.9 percent and sales of furniture and home furnishings were up 5.2 percent. Sales of nondurable goods were up 0.6 percent (+/-0.8%)* from last month and were up 17.8 percent (+/-1.7%) from last year. Sales of paper and paper products were up 6.2 percent from last month and sales of grocery and related products were up 1.8 percent.

Inventories.

Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $427.4 billion at the end of April, up 1.3 percent (+/-0.3%) from the revised March level and were up 8.1 percent (+/- 1.2%) from a year ago. The March preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.9 billion, or 0.2 percent. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were up 1.1 percent (+/-0.5%) from last month and were up 4.9 percent (+/-1.2%) from last April. Inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were up 2.9 percent from last month and inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were up 2.5 percent. End-ofmonth inventories of nondurable goods increased 1.7 percent (+/-0.5%) from March and were up 13.5 percent (+/-2.0%) compared to last April. Inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 8.8 percent from last month and inventories of farm product raw materials were up 4.2 percent.

Inventories/Sales Ratio.

The April inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.09. The April 2007 ratio was 1.14.


Available at:

http://www2.census.gov/wholesale/pdf/mwts/currentwhl.pdf