ASPEN —The June retail-sales figures suggest what many in town already know: Summers in Aspen mean big business these days.
According to the city’s monthly consumption tax report, retailers reaped $44.8 million in June, a nominal decrease from June 2012’s $44.9 million. But there’s more to the picture than meets the eye.
That’s because Aspen’s June sales this year and last year are higher than the same month’s sales in each of the eight years previously. Only in 2007 did June retail sales surpass the $40 million mark, placing third over the 10-year period at $40.2 million.
June doesn’t rank in the top half of the 12 months in Aspen’s sales year, according to Chris Lundgren, an accountant with the city’s Finance Department. The six months with higher sales, in order (with some variation depending on the year), are December, January, March, February, July and August, he said. Then comes June.
But June, the start of the increasingly busy summer visitor season, is making its presence known, the numbers suggest. In 2004, for example, June sales only totaled $29.4 million.
June accounts for up to 9 percent of the city’s annual sales, Lundgren said.
