Christian Bookstores saw a $100 million decline in their retail sales of Christian products from ’00 to ’02 while general retailers experienced an equal sales increase of Christian merchandise. Plus 271 of the 2,700 or so Christian retailers in the U.S. closed their doors in ‘03. The Christian retail climate is “the worst it’s been in 30 years,” says CBA President/CEO, Bill Anderson. CBA is working to equip independent Christian retailers to profitably thrive in today’s highly competitive retail climate. (Newsweek 1/24/05, Foster Letter 1/25/05)
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