Wholesale distributor revenues were $337.4 billion, up 3.3% from October, and up 0.6% from November 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau announced.

October sales of durable goods were up 1.9% from last month, but were down 4.2% from a year ago. Sales of electrical and electronic goods were up 5.9% from last month and sales of lumber and other construction materials were up 1.9%. Sales of nondurable goods were up 4.4% from last month, and up 4.7% from last year. Sales of petroleum and petroleum products were up 7.5% from last month and sales of farm product raw materials were up 29.6%.

We Deliver Distribution News to Your Inbox Sign up to receive MDM Update, your weekly distribution news update by email. Enter your email address below:

Total inventories were $386.3 billion at the end of November, up 1.5% from October, but were down 11% from a year ago. End-of-month inventories of durable goods were down 0.3% from last month and were down 16.1% from last November. Inventories of machinery, equipment, and supplies were down 1.4% from last month, while inventories of computer and computer peripheral equipment and software were up 2.2%.

End-of-month inventories of nondurable goods were up 4.2% from October, but down 2.2% compared to last November. Inventories of farm product raw materials were up 29.8% from last month and inventories of petroleum and petroleum products were up 7.0%.

The November inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.14. The November 2008 ratio was 1.29.

Download the pdf below for more details by sector.

Click Here