Wholegoods get big retail sales boost at OPE shops in May

Retail sales of wholegoods during May proved to be surprisingly strong, according to exclusive data provided to OPE Business readers from Constellation Data Solutions, a division of Constellation Dealership Group.

The Same Store Sales results for wholegoods at outdoor power equipment dealerships for the month of May on average increased by 13 percent in May vs. May 2019.

The composite data is pulled from dealerships that use Constellation’s Ideal and c-Systems DMS brands. The Same Store Sales data compares May 2020 vs. May 2019 at 1,164 independent servicing OPE dealerships.

The Midwest had the largest increase, with wholegoods sales rising 21 percent during May. The West followed with 16 percent growth in wholegoods sales during May, ahead of a 13 percent gain in the South region. The Northeast also experienced wholegoods growth with a 2 perent rise.

Here’s a breakdown of the percentage of dealerships that had an increase or decrease in wholegoods sales during May 2020 vs. May 2019.

West — 58 percent up; 42 percent down

Midwest — 61 percent up; 39 percent down

Northeast — 47 percent up; 53 percent down

South — 54 percent up; 46 percent down

U.S. — 55 percent up; 45 percent down

States in each region are as follows:

Midwest — IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI

Northeast — CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, WV, CT, MA, ME

South — AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, PR, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV

West — AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY

— Dave McMahon, editor, dmcmahon at epgmediallc.com