Evening star., 1937-02-06
CHAIN STORE GAIN
IN D. c. REVEALED
Census Report of Business
Shows 1885 Sales of
$330,813,00O.

A steady growth of chain-store
business and a corresponding decline
in activity by independent sales houses
Is occurring in the District Of Colum-
bia, according to census Of business
report made public today by William
L. Austin, director Of the Census Bu-
reau.
The chain sales ratio Is higher than
the national average of 22.8 per cent
in the District and IL of the States,
the District average being 297 per
cent, the highest in the Nation, the
report shows.
The report shows that Of 6,472
stores of all kinds In the District, 1,150
are chain establishments. These stores
during 1885, the year covered by the
report, showed a sales total of 29.7
per cent of the total sales in the Dis
trict, as compared with 28.4 per cent
In 1888 and 1858 in 1929.
The independent stores during 1885
made 67.6 per cent of the total sales.
as compared with 69.1 per cent in 1888
and 72.4 per cent in 1929.
S330,Sl3,Oo0 Total.
The report shows that total sales by
all types of District stores during 1895
amounted to $330,813,000. There were
4,815 active proprietors and firm men,
bers connected with the 6,472 stores
of all kinds in the District and the
pay rolls, both full and part time,
averaged 42,069 during the year. The
total pay roll was $43 3,905, 900, of which
$42 ,1O2, 900 was to full-time employees
and 81 ,803, 900 to part-time workers.
Operating expenses o. the local stores,
including LAY roll, totaled $87, 1853 900.
The report showed that during 1895
5000 independent stores in Washing
ton transacted sales totaling $223,-
652 900. There were 1892 active pro-
prietors and firm members connected
with these stores and 29,262 employees.
who received a total of $30,812. 900 in
wages. Operating expenses amounted
to s6l, $50, 900.
The chain store sales amounted to
s98,244,OO0. There were 1879 active
proprietors and frm members and
1,173 employees in these chain stores
and the total pay roll was $1,352.000
and the operating expenses s2,940, 900.
IL Firms Sell Directly.
There were IA independent leased
departments operated in local stores
and SO leased chain departments.
Twelve firms were engaged in direct
selling from house to house and they
transacted sales totaling s934,000, en-
ploying one active firm member and
32s employees. whose wages totaled
$4,000.
BY far the largest number of stores
engaged in any one business were the
combination grocery and meat stores.
There were 1885 stores of this type,
of which 974 were independents and
356 chain, being listed as Of "other
types" Here, too, the business OF the
independents had decreased while the
chains grew. In the field of grocery
stores not handling meats, however.
the trend was the other way, the num-
Der of independent dealers increasing
while chain store sales declined. There
were 3Sl stores Of this type, of which
255 were independent and 119 chain.
There we're no chain, beer and liquor
stores listed, but there were 2o2 in
dependents.
The drug sales business witnessed
gain for the independent operators,
with chain drug stores reporting fall
ing of from 1888 to 1895. There were
So local independent drug stores with
o,,t soda fountains but every one of
the chain establishments operated a
fountain.
While chain operators have gone
into a ma ajority of the lines Of busi-
ness In Washington. it was revealed
that there still are a number Of lines
of sales activity which have re-
manned entirely independent. among
them lumber and building materials,
hay, grain and feed, farm and garden
supplies and jewelry.
The number of chain gasoline fill