Yearly amount of products sold increases to over 540 billion yen    According to the 2007 Census of Commerce, yearly product sales in the retail industry amounted to 541 billion yen (a 5.3% increase compared to the previous census in 2004). The number of businesses was 4,397 (8.7% decrease), number of workers was 29,170 people (3.7% decrease), and the total amount of sales space was 642,735 square meters (0.2% decrease).    Although the number of businesses and workers decreased, the yearly amount of goods sold increased to make up 17.4% of Hiroshima Prefecture's total amount (3.1150 trillion yen).    Viewing the yearly monetary amount of items sold in the order of greatest amount, retail sale of food and beverage products (151.8 billion yen, percentage distribution 28.0%) was first, followed by vehicles and bicycles (69.9 billion yen yen, 12.9%), and various goods (54.0 billion yen yen, 10.0%).    Increased activity can be seen in the retail industry, such as increased yearly sales per worker and business. Although the number of convenience stores and drug stores has greatly increased, consumers have become able to make purchases through various methods such as Internet shopping, and the number of small scale retail shops in urban centers or with roots in the region has decreased.   Number of Businesses Number of Workers (People) Yearly Amount of Products Sold (100 million yen) Total 4,397 29,170 5,410 Various Goods 19 1,544 540 Textiles, Clothing, Personal Items 672 2,614 398 Food and Beverages 1,157 10,680 1,518 Vehicles, Bicycles 462 2,692 699 Furniture, Household Equipment, Machinery and Apparatuses 500 2,296 529 Other 1,587 9,344 1,723 Hiroshima Prefecture "Census of Commerce Results Report"