Building Materials Sales Dip 1.5% Through August

Sales by building material/garden equipment and supply retailers for the first eight months of 2007 hit $242.6 billion, down 1.5% from the same period last year, according to the Commerce Department. Sales in the category for the month dipped less than 1% from July, at just under $31.3 billion.
Sales for electronics and appliance stores increased 3.0% over the eight-month span, to $68.7 billion.