Year-end retail numbers for the Galesburg and Monmouth regions from the Illinois Department of Revenue have been released. Knox County Area Partnership President Ken Springer breaks down the data:
“Galesburg ended 2022 with a 2% decline in retail sales receipts compared to 2021. If you look at Galesburg’s categorical data, it looks like the grocery and restaurant categories were the ones really showing the most growth out of all the different categories. Monmouth a little bit different story. Monmouth ended the year at 3.4% over. Again for Monmouth, the grocery and restaurant categories showed a lot of growth. Also, general merchandise category showed some growth in Monmouth and then there was a small gain in the automotive and gas station category as well.”
Springer reports both Galesburg and Monmouth are coming off a massive retail growth year in 2021; Galesburg increased by 22% and a 32% increase in Monmouth. Additionally, when comparing retail markets to pre-pandemic numbers in 2019, both Monmouth and Galesburg show a 20% increase in their retail economy today.