Retail sales in Ringgold county continued to improve during the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the latest report from the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance.
Sales during October, November and December of 2011 totaled $13,906,541 in Ringgold county, up $521,142 or four percent over the previous year.
This is a new record for the quarter in the county.
All surrounding counties except Clarke and Taylor counties showed increases for quarter.
In Adams county, sales increased $453,243 or eight percent to reach $6,255,975, a new record. Sales in Decatur county increased five percent or $427,598 to $8,869,672, also a record there.
Sales in Union county were up five percent or $1,485,634 to $31,906,541 for the quarter. The record there was set in 2008 with sales of $33,419,956. This year’s total has been surpassed four times in the past 10 years there.
In Clarke county, sales slipped one tenth of a percent of $175,873 to $18,266,394. The record there was set in 2008 at $18,610,021. This years total has been exceeded twice in the past 10 years.
Sales in Taylor county slipped $157,032 or three percent to $6,047,219. This year’s total has been exceeded twice in the past 10 years.
Sales in communities for the most part mirrored their county totals, though a couple of small communities showed big percentage gains.
In Ringgold county, Mount Ayr showed sales of $11,945,920, up $267,577 or two percent from the previous year. This was a new record for the period.
Diagonal and Redding also showed sales records. In Diagonal, sales were up 15 percent or $154,579 to $1,156,148. Redding sales totaled $361,545, up $33,331 or one percent from the previous year.
Ellston sales totaled $214,490, up $76,243 or 55 percent from the previous year. The modern record there was set in 2008 with $296,475.
Kellerton was the reported county community with a decrease for the period. Sales there totaled $65,504, down $1,397 or two percent. Kellerton’s modern record was also set in 2008 with sales of $80,976.
In Adams county, Corning sales slipped while the county sales rose. Sales in Corning totaled $5,281,911 for the quarter, down nine $520,821 or nine percent from the previous year.
In Clarke county, sales in Osceola slipped $289,789 or two percent to $17,314,513.
Decatur county saw in increase in sales in Lamoni and a slight decrease in Leon. Lamoni sales totaled $3,065,725, an increase of $277,071 or one percent. Sales in Leon totaled $4,176,479, a decrease of half a percent or $232,067.
In Taylor county, sales slipped in Bedford and Lenox and jumped in Clearfield. In Bedford sales totaled $3,065,725, down one tenth of a percent or $35,171. In Lenox sales totaled $2,326,712, down nine percent or $225,507 from the previous year. In Clearfield retail sales jumped $179,803 or 98 percent to $363,326.
In Union county, sales were up three percent or $902,795 in Creston to $29,223,782. Meanwhile sales in Afton jumped 17 percent or $283,272 to $1,909, 847.