OCR Text |
Show Food Sales Show Greatest Wartime Rise Sales by restaurants, groceries and other food stores in the United States rose from $12,693,000,000 in the prewar year of 1938 to $28,261,-000,000 $28,261,-000,000 in 1944, an increase of 122.7 per cent, according to the Alexander Hamilton institute. This was a much larger percentage increase than that shown by retail sales of all other commodities which rose from $25,-360.000,000 $25,-360.000,000 to $41,014,000,000. Half of the gain in total retail trade from $38,053,000,000 in 1938 to the record high figure of $69,275,000,-000 $69,275,000,-000 in 1944 was accounted for by the increase in food sales alone. In 1938, food sales represented 33.4 per cent of total retail trade. In 1944, food sales amounted to 40.8 per cent of the total. Reports for the first two months of 1945 show a continuation continu-ation of the expansion in food sales. |