Retail Sales Up in July and August

Valentine did fairly well in retail sales in the months of July and August when compared to some other peer communities.

In July Valentine had a slight bump in sales when compared to 2024 with a 5.7% increase.  In August it took another slight increase of 6.3% compared to a year earlier.

Ainsworth was up only 1.7% in July and down 1.4% in August when compared to 2024 retail sales.

Chadron had less than 1% increase in July and experienced a 3.3% decrease in August.

O’Neill was up a decent 5.7% in July, but was up by less than one half percent in August.

Broken Bow was down 10% for July and down another 2% in August.

These figures are pretty much shown across the state of Nebraska in 2025.  This emphasizes the need to shop your hometown merchants for the holidays to support them.

Local gifts such as a gift card to a store, an oil change at a local shop, or some area produced products in a gift basket can make a difference for your local businesses.