[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 103 (Thursday, May 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30807-30808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12476]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

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 July 28, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, 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 businesses classified in the Retail Trade and/or 
Accommodation and Food Services sector as defined by the 2007 NAICS, is 
drawn from the Business Register (BR). The BR is the Census Bureau's 
master business list and contains basic economic information for 
approximately 7.4 million employer businesses and 22.5 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 Employer Identification Numbers (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. 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 trade, and accommodation and food services, industries 
approximately fifteen months after the end of the reference year.
    Every five years, ARTS requests data on detailed operating 
expenses. During the next three years, detailed operating expenses will 
not be collected. The last time ARTS collected detailed operating 
expenses was in 2013 for the 2012 survey year. The plan is to reinstate 
these questions in 2018 as part of the 2017 ARTS data collection.

II. Method of Collection

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

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0013.
    Form Number(s): SA-44, SA-44A, SA-44C, SA-44E, SA-44N, SA-44S, SA-
45, SA-45C, SA-721A, SA-721B, SA-721E, SA-721F, 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: 20,560.
    Estimated Time per Response: 34 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 11,533 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Respondents: $360,868.
    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

[[Page 30808]]

approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter 
of public record.

    Dated: May 23, 2014.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-12476 Filed 5-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P