Lafayette Parish had a historic March in terms of retail sales, shattering the previous record for sales in a single month by more than $28 million, according to data from the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.
Lafayette Parish had nearly $700 million in taxable retail sales in March, an increase of 31.5%, or $167.2 million, from February. Before March 2021, the parish’s record for sales in a month was about $670 million in December 2014.
“It’s clear from these numbers as operating restrictions are eased and businesses re-open or expand their services, shoppers are ready to spend in Lafayette Parish,” says Gregg Gothreaux, President and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. “Studies show that 80 percent of consumers feel more or as connected to their communities now compared to pre-pandemic. I hope that connection and community support continues to carry over into supporting local businesses to further fuel our economic recovery.”
Lafayette Parish’s sales were up 37% from March 2020’s $509.4 million, when the parish began to see the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a statewide stay-at-home order. Year to date, Lafayette Parish has recorded $1.8 billion in sales, up 19% from 2020’s $1.5 billion.
The City of Lafayette did not break its record for sales in a month, also set in December 2014, though it did record the second-highest sales total on record. In March, the city had $473.6 million in sales, an increase of 30.9%, or $111.7 million, from February.
The City of Lafayette’s sales were up 37.8% from March 2020. Year-to-date sales total $1.2 billion, an increase of 18.1% from $1 billion in 2020.
Within the City of Lafayette, every category saw sales increase by at least 20% from February, according to LEDA data.
Food sales totaled $101.6 million in March, up 22%, or $18.3 million, from February. Food sales were up 28.7% from March 2020, and year-to-date sales are up 15.2% from 2020.
Apparel sales — which were hit hard by COVID-19 in 2020 — saw sales nearly double from February, increasing $10.7 million, or 94.1%, to total $22.1 million in March. Sales were up nearly 170% from March 2020, and year-to-date sales are up 69.4% from 2020.
General merchandise sales totaled $137.8 million in March, an increase of 33%, or $34.2 million, from February. Sales increased nearly 29% from March 2020, and year-to-date sales are up 24%.
Automotive sales totaled $555.6 million in March, an increase of 37.3%, or $15.1 million, from February. Sales increased 29.7% from March 2020, and year-to-date sales are up 23.5% from 2020.
Furniture sales totaled $25.5 million in March, up 25.6%, or $5.2 million, from February. Sales were up 19.2% from March 2020, and year-to-date sales are up 6.6% from 2020.
Building material sales totaled $51.5 million in March, up 38.5%, or $14.3 million, from February. Sales were up 29.8% from March 2020, and year-to-date sales are up 31.2% from 2020.
Sales for services totaled $34.9 million in March, up 34.6%, or $9 million, from February. Sales were up 37% from March 2020, and year-to-date sales are up 25.7% from 2020.
Other sales totaled $41.9 million in March, up 3.5%, or $1.4 million, from February. Sales were up 50.8% from March 2020, and year-to-date sales are up 53.1% from 2020.
Carencro broke its record for sales in a single month in March, recording $40.4 million in sales for March. Sales were up 36.8% from February and 62.8% from March 2020. Year-to-date sales are up 50.4% from 2020.
Scott also broke its record. Scott had $27.2 million in sales in March, up 25.5% from February and 29.6% from March 2020. Year-to-date sales are up 18.2% from 2020.
Broussard recorded more than $60 million in March, an increase of 38% from February and 30% from March 2020. Year-to-date sales are up 10.8% from 2020.
Duson had $3.7 million in sales in March, up 24.8% from February and 35.7% from March 2020. Year-to-date sales are up 29.2% from 2020.
Youngsville recorded $35.3 million in March, an increase of 22.5% from February and 33.5% from March 2020. Year-to-date sales are up 27% from 2020.
The unincorporated parts of the parish had $57.7 million in sales in March, an increase of 36.4% from February and 29.6% from March 2020. Year-to-date sales are up 13.4% from 2020.