SIC 5099
DURABLE GOODS, NOT ELSEWHERE CLASSIFIED



This industry classification includes wholesale distributors of durable goods that are not categorized elsewhere. It includes distributors of prerecorded audio cassettes, compact discs, and phonograph records; fire extinguishers; firearms and ammunition, except sporting; coin-operated game machines; luggage; monuments and grave markers; musical instruments; nonelectric signs; and forest products, except lumber, such as cordwood, hewn logs, and wood chips.

NAICS Code(s)

421990 (Other Miscellaneous Durable Goods Wholesalers)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau the durable goods industry consisted of 14,285 establishments in 2001, employing about 99,261 workers. In 2003, the number increased to 22,521 establishments with total annual sales estimated at $24,665.80 million. The average sales generated per establishment totaled about $1 million. States with the highest number of establishments were California with 3,586, Texas with 2,154, Florida with 1,663, and New York with 1,576.

In 1997 Dun and Bradstreet listed 22,521 establishments in the durable goods industry, which generated $659 billion in sales, up from $617 billion in 1996. The industry also generated profits of approximately $107 billion dollars, up $15 billion from the previous year. In

SIC 5099 Durable Goods, Not Elsewhere Classified

1998 profits dropped to roughly $100 billion, due in large part to struggling overseas economies, especially in Asia. Orders for durable goods rose again in 1999, to a record $186 billion dollars in August. But over the next two months the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that orders for durable goods had fallen 1.3 percent.

General merchandise such as luggage, non-sporting firearms, and non-electronic signs accounted for approximately 32 percent of sales in the durable goods industry during the 1990s; musical recordings made up 26 percent; forest products excluding lumber were 24 percent; musical instruments and supplies accounted for 4 percent; fire extinguishers and safety equipment totaled 2 percent; and other durable goods filled out the remaining 12 percent.

Dun and Bradstreet listed 158 U.S. dealers of nonsporting firearms in 1999. Most such dealers had less than 10 employees and reported sales between $50,000 and $500,000, with more successful dealers commonly being located in higher crime areas like Los Angeles, California.

In 2003, products from this industry segment dominated the durable goods market. The segment accounted for 7,941 total establishments within the industry. Safety equipment and supplies generated 9.6 percent; video and audio equipment accounted for 9.3 percent; wood and wood by—products made up 7.9 percent; musical instruments made up 2.8 percent; firearms and ammunition (except sporting) accounted for about 2.5 percent.

Samsonite was the world's largest manufacturer of luggage in the 1990s. The maker of American Tourister, Lark, and Samsonite brand names reported more than $175 million in U.S. sales during 1997, and employed 7,300 workers.

There were more than 1,100 U.S. nonelectronic sign makers in 1997, but only a fraction reported annual sales in excess of a $1 million. Display Technologies, Inc., of Orlando, Florida, was one of the leading sign makers in the country during the late 1990s, posting sales of approximately $66 million in 1997, and employing 525 workers. In 1999 Display Technologies bought Lockwood Group Inc., a commercial sign manufacturer in Atlanta, Georgia. Revenue for Lockwood totaled more than $10 million in 1998.

Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corp., a subsidiary of multimedia conglomerate Time Warner Entertainment Co., L.P., was one of the nation's leading distributors of prerecorded music over the past 10 years. It had sales of more than $222 million in 1997 and employed approximately 1,200 people. Yamaha Corporation of America was one of the leading U.S. distributors of musical instruments, posting $185 million in sales during 1997 and employed approximately 1,000 workers.

The durable goods industry employed 72,000 workers in the mid-1990s, and had an annual payroll exceeding $2 billion. The average industry worker brought home approximately $588 dollars per week in pay in 1997. A 1999 survey of leading U.S. employers indicated that the biggest demand for workers in 2000 would come from durable goods manufacturers, 30 percent of which reported plans to hire employees.

In 2003, the workforce had increased to 114,615 workers. The majority of establishments employed under five people. There were a total of 18,153 establishments with five or fewer employees. There were 2,196 that employed between 5 and 9; 1,331 employed between 10 and 24; 391 employed between 25 and 49; 165 employed between 50 and 99; 80 employed between 100 and 499; and 23 establishments employed more than 500.

Further Reading

D&B Sales & Marketing Solutions, 2003. Available from http://www.zapdata.com .

Hoover's Company Profiles, April 2004. Available from http://www.hoovers.com .

U.S. Bureau of the Census. Available from http://www.census.gov .

U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2001. Available from http://www.census.gov/epcd/susb/2001/US421420.HTM .

U.S. Department of Commerce, 2004. Available from http://www.doc.gov .

U.S. Department of Labor, 2004. Available from http://www.dol.gov .

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