Diamond: Comic shop sales up in first half of 2014
Comic book shops are having a solid 2014, according to numbers released by Diamond Comic Distributors at this weekend’s San Diego Comic Con. According to Chris Powell, Diamond’s VP of Retailer Services, overall sales in comic shops for the first half of 2014 are up 3.8% over last year, led by a jump in merchandise sales of 10.4%. Comic sales are actually down 1.4% from last year, but a 2.9% jump in graphic novel sales made up for it. Toys (up 23.7%) and comic-themed novelties (up 48.5%) were the top sales generators for comic shops.
“What it all points to,” Powell said, “is that the health of comic book specialty shops is better than ever. Retailers continue to diversify their product offerings — and with many stores moving into larger spaces in the past few years — we’ve seen a greater emphasis on merchandise and other product lines. Coupled with strong sales from comics and graphic novels, stores are on good financial footing and we’re expecting a strong finish to 2014.”
For more information, visit the Diamond Comic Distributors website by clicking here.
