[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 23542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10067]



[[Page 23542]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Annual Retail 
Trade Survey

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before June 27, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Aneta Erdie, U.S. Census Bureau, Service Sector 
Statistics Division, Room 8K041, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 
20233-6500, (301) 763-4841, (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS) covers employer firms with 
establishments located in the United States and classified in the 
Retail Trade and/or Accommodation and Food Services sectors as defined 
by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
    Firms are selected for this survey using a stratified random sample 
where strata are defined by industry and annual sales size. The sample, 
consisting of about 20,600 retail businesses, is drawn from the 
Business Register (BR). The BR is the Census Bureau's master business 
list and contains basic economic information for over 7.5 million 
employer businesses and over 21 million nonemployer businesses. The BR 
obtains information through direct data collections and administrative 
record information from other Federal agencies. The sample is updated 
quarterly to reflect employer business ``births'' and ``deaths''; 
adding new employer businesses identified in the Business and 
Professional Classification Survey and deleting firms and EINs when it 
is determined they are no longer active.
    The survey requests firms to provide annual sales, annual e-
commerce sales, year-end inventories held inside and outside the United 
States, total operating expenses, purchases, accounts receivables, and, 
for selected industries, sales by merchandise line, percent of sales by 
class of customer, and percent of e-commerce sales to customers located 
outside the United States. These data are used to satisfy a variety of 
public and business needs such as economic market analysis, company 
performance, and forecasting future demands. Results will be available, 
at the United States summary level, for selected retail industries 
approximately fifteen months after the end of the reference year.
    A new sample will be introduced with the 2011 ARTS. It is expected 
that approximately 60-70% of the companies that are asked to report 
will be doing so for the first time (and, consequently, 60-70% of the 
old sample will no longer be asked to report). In order to link 
estimates from the new and prior samples, we will be asking companies 
to provide data for 2011 and 2010. The 2012 ARTS and subsequent years 
will request one year of data until a new sample is once again 
introduced.
    An additional change will occur with the 2012 ARTS. We will request 
data on detailed operating expenses that were previously requested 
under a separate supplemental mailing (conducted every 5 years). The 
last supplemental mailing was conducted for the 2007 ARTS under OMB 
Control No. 0607-0942. While the retail portion of that program will be 
collapsed into the ARTS, we will continue to ask only the additional 
detailed expense questions every 5 years.
    The estimated time per response and estimated total annual burden 
hours, as reported below, were calculated using the first three years 
of the new ARTS sample and, therefore, accurately reflect the burden 
associated with requesting two years of data for the first year of the 
new ARTS sample and requesting detailed expense data in the second year 
of the new ARTS sample. We have found that the estimated time per 
response for a ``typical'' year (i.e., only one year of data is 
requested with no detailed expense data) of data is 34 minutes. We will 
lower our burden estimates with the 2013 ARTS.

II. Method of Collection

    We collect this information by mail, fax, telephone, and Internet.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0013.
    Form Number: SA-44, SA-44A, SA-44C, SA-44E, SA-44N, SA-44S, SA-45, 
SA-45C, SA-7211A, SA-7211E, SA-721A, SA-721E, SA-722A, and SA-722E.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Retail and/or accommodation and food services 
firms located in the United States.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 20,600.
    Estimated Time per Response: 91 minutes (3-year average).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 31,243 hours (3-year average).
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $906,359.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 182, 
224, and 225.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: April 21, 2011.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-10067 Filed 4-26-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P