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 July 2007 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 $359.0 billion, up 0.8 percent (+/-0.5%) from the revised June level and were up 7.2 percent (+/-1.3%) from the July 2006 level. The June preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.7 billion or 0.2 percent. July sales of durable goods were virtually unchanged (+/-1.0%) from last month and were up 4.3 percent (+/-2.0%) from a year ago. Compared to last month, sales of lumber and other construction materials were down 3.2 percent. July sales of nondurable goods were up 0.1 percent (+/-0.7%) from last month and were up 10.0 percent (+/-2.0%) from last year. Sales of drugs and druggists'' sundries were up 1.4 percent from last month.

Inventories

Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were $398.8 billion at the end of July, up 0.2 percent (+/-0.3%) from the revised June level and were up 5.5 percent (+/-1.8%) from a year ago. The June preliminary estimate was revised downward $0.6 billion or 0.2 percent. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were down 0.5 percent (+/-0.5%)* from last month and were up 2.1 percent (+/-2.3%)* from last July. Inventories of motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies were down 1.7 percent from last month and inventories of metals and minerals, except petroleum, were down 1.6 percent. End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods increased 1.5 percent (+/-0.5%) from June and were up 11.5 percent (+/-3.6%) compared to last July. Inventories of farm product raw materials were up 7.5 percent and inventories of chemicals and allied products increased 3.0 percent from last month.

Inventories/Sales Ratio

The July inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.11. The July 2006 ratio was 1.13.


Available at:

http://www.census.gov/mwts/www/currentwhl.html