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New industry, a growing population base and expanding
tourism have had a definite impact on the retail sector of
Brownsville’s economy, which has enjoyed a tremendous surge.
From 1995 to 2004, gross retail sales in the
Brownsville-Harlingen Metropolitan Area skyrocketed from
$1.9 billion to $3.2 billion, according to the Texas
Comptroller’s Office. As of July 2006, Brownsville had
received $20.4 million in tax revenues for the year from the
state comptroller’s office, a figure 12.2 percent higher
than the total received by July 2005. Indeed, sales tax
receipts for the city have been rising steadily for over a
decade. Sales per capita are up from $6,323 to $8,501.
The retail expansion in Brownsville got its first major
boost in 1997 with the arrival of Target, Applebee’s,
Michael’s and Office Depot in a new plaza on Boca Chica
Boulevard. But the largest boom to Brownsville’s retail
sector came with the renovation and expansion of the Sunrise
Mall, which began in 1998. The $90 million project more than
doubled the size of the mall and cemented Brownsville as the
region’s retail center. The Sunrise Mall completed its
expansion in 2000. Anchor stores at Sunrise Mall include
Dillard’s, JCPenney, Sears, Beall’s and Cinemark 16. The
mall also features an extensive food court and more than 100
niche shops.
The expansion of the mall served as a catalyst for an
explosion of retail development on the city’s north side,
where Sunrise Mall is located. Since 2000, a number of
national chain restaurants, stores and hotels have either
already arrived or announced their intentions of coming to
Brownsville Retail activity in Brownsville remained strong
in 2005 as national retailers continued flocking to the
city’s north end. Local retail sales, as reported by the
state of Texas, were 6.1% higher at $1.7 billion for the
year. The City of Brownsville, meanwhile, reports sales tax
collections were up by a healthy 4.5%.
For more information on Brownsville’s Sales Tax Activity
visit: figures visit:
http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/sales/index.html
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