Visits to Reading Terminal Market Reach All-Time High in 2009

The Reading Terminal Market today announced that it reached 5.8 million visits in 2009, the highest total in the Market’s storied 118-year history.

At the same time, the Market also reported that even in the midst of the economic recession, its sales totaled $21.4 million last year, an increase of 3.8% over 2008. The sales and visitor count figures underscore the Market’s position as the most popular destination in Philadelphia.

â“To see such positive results in the midst of the Great Recession is certainly heartening, and we are grateful to our customers for their support,â” said Paul Steinke, General Manager of the Reading Terminal Market Corporation, the non-profit that manages the Market. â“The Market and its merchants have continually strived to respond to the changing needs of our customer base, and we also benefit from the growing popularity of Center City among tourists and locals alike.â”

The year-end report for 2009 showed nearly 5.8 million visits to the Market, an increase of 2.8% over 2008, and the largest number of visitors since the Market began measuring visitor traffic in 2002. It was the sixth consecutive year of increased visitor traffic to the Market.

Average visitor counts on Sundays in 2009 increased 14% over 2008 and 26% over 2007, which was the Market’s first full year of Sunday operations. The Market’s busiest day remains Saturday, which averaged 20,895 visitors in 2009.

At the same time, according to the report, comparable store sales increased 3.8% over 2008, to $21,471,000. The Market’s four merchandise categories reported the following comparable store sales results: Fresh Food (including produce, meats, poultry, and seafood) up 7.3%; Food Court/Lunch up 5.7%; Market Basket/Grocery (including bakeries, cheeses, dairy, and packaged foods), no change in comparable store sales; and Mercantile/Non-Food (including cookware, books, jewelry and crafts – the Market’s smallest merchandise category) comparable store sales fell by 2.5%.

The Market last year was the largest redeemer of Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program vouchers (aka â“food stampsâ”) in all of Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This figure reflects the extraordinary socio-economic diversity of the Market’s growing customer base.

â“People from all walks of life visit Reading Terminal Market,â” Steinke said, â“and we welcome them all.â”

About Reading Terminal Market
Reading Terminal Market, founded in 1892, is one of the largest and oldest public markets in the United States. The Market is managed by the Reading Terminal Market Corporation (RTMC), a non-profit corporation created in 1994 to preserve the architectural and historical character, and function, of the Market as an urban farmers market. The Market houses 79 locally-owned and operated small retail tenants, the vast majority of which sell food in one form or another. All of the tenants are locally owned and operated; as a matter of policy, RTMC does not lease to chain or franchise businesses.