It’s Valentine’s Day and another big opportunity for everyone to show love to a special someone, our restaurants, and retailers!

While these statistics are a year or two old, they are nonetheless breathtaking given the amounts that are spent. “According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent over $20 billion on Valentine's Day gifts in 2019 and were expected to spend a record-breaking $27.4 billion for 2020 — including $2.4 billion on candy alone. People also expected to spend an average of approximately $196 for Valentine's Day, with men spending around $291 compared to women spending $106.”

While jewelry is the costliest gift people give on Valentine’s Day, our pets are not forgotten. “In fact, around 27.6 million American households gave Valentine's Day presents to their pet dogs in 2020, and more than 17.1 million picked up gifts for their cats. All in all, American households spent an estimated $751.3 million on gifts for their pets on Valentine’s Day.

Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, driving the U.S. economy and supporting 52 million jobs in communities across the country. Supporting the retail industry is directly supporting the livelihoods of over a quarter of Delaware's workforce. Here is a quick look at retail's impact in the First State:

This is exactly why the Delaware Retail Council (DRC), an affiliate of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, exists to support and improve this vital industry.

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