Boat dealers post double-digit sales gains in January

Boat dealers started out 2017 on a strong note, posting double-digit year-over-year gains across all categories.

Same-store sales in January were up 18.4 percent from the same month a year earlier. That’s according to the latest report from CDK Global Recreation, which is based on data from users of the company’s Lightspeed software.

That follows a year-over-decline of 10.1 percent in December and was the largest monthly gain since February.

While sales were up in all departments, parts and accessories continued to be a strong performer, with sales up 41.7 percent from January 2016. That was the strongest monthly gain since the industry downturn and the third straight month with parts and accessories sales north of 20 percent.

Unit sales were up 15.9 percent for the period, following a 14.1 percent decrease in December and 16.3 percent increase in November.

Service department sales were also strong, up 10 percent for the month following a 12.6 percent decrease in December.