February Sales Numbers Are Out

From yesterday's Publishers Weekly:

Despite lots of industry talk about a challenging economic environment, bookstore sales are off to a strong start. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, sales in February jumped 11.3%, to $1.13 billion, bringing the two-month total to $3.40 billion, a 6.7% increase over the comparable period in 2007. Total retail sales were up 7.3% in February and ahead 5.9% for the two months.