Nevertheless, 2000's prosperity was a boon to grocery stores, which accounted for 95% of the year's dollar sales as of December 1. The total for groceries was a 5.8% jump over the previous year, but December's sales showed some weakness--only 1.3% higher than December 1999.
Continuing the generally positive note, the Food Institute has preliminary estimates of meat and seafood market sales for the year, which were also ahead of year-ago figures--by some 6.2%--and finished at $6.8 billion. Retail bakery sales rose 5.8% to $7.6 billion, according to the Food Institute, and the $11.3 billion in sales in specialized food stores was 19% stronger than 1999.