How Have Retail Trade Data Been Used?
A major food store chain uses census data as the basis for its estimates of potential weekly food store sales in the trade area for each of its stores–estimates that allow calculation of market share and other measures of performance for each existing store, and support evaluations of prospective sites for new stores. Since each store’s trade area is defined in terms of census tracts and block, areas too small for retail trade statistics to be available, the chain calculates per capita weekly (PCW) food store sales from retail census data and population estimates for counties, then multiplies the appropriate PCW times the estimated population of the target trade area to estimate potential food store sales. They adjust PCW to reflect national changes in food store sales since the last census using Monthly Retail Trade. An entrepreneur hoping to market an edible stirring straw for mixed drinks looked to retail and service census data about his potential customers, including liquor store
