ATTENDANCE AT ICRS DOWN THIS YEAR

With attendance numbers down from last year and notably smaller exhibits for some publishers, the International Christian Retail Show met June 23-26 in St. Louis, Mo. Total attendance dropped significantly, to 3,700 from 4,990 last year, with professional attendance down 15%, to 1,485 buyers. International attendance was down 21%, to 288 from 57 countries. There was positive news going into the show—an 8.5% increase in sales for 2012 over 2011—and while 39 member stores closed last year, that was down from 63 in 2011. Figures for store closings so far in 2013 were not available, though CBA’s State of the Industry report stated that half the 2012 number said they planned to close this year.