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FYI

Staff -- Casual Living, 10/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Briefly.....

As Baby Boomers, the long-time target market for outdoor products, age and turn their attention to health care and other needs, savvy marketers will be looking for promising new targets. Boomers themselves have spawned a good one. Their kids, the Echo Boomers (also called Gen Y) are expected to have an even larger spending impact than Baby Boomers.

According to Casual Living's Exclusive 2007 Consumer Buying Trends Survey, affluent Gen Yers (those with household incomes of $75,000 or more) spent a median of $400 on an outdoor dining set and a median of $250 on a grill in 2006.

A recent Visa USA study predicts Gen Y will account for $2.45 trillion in spending by the year 2015.

No doubt about it — Echo Boomers are a growing, affluent market segment worth catering to.

Source: Casual Living's Exclusive Consumer Buying Trends, 2007; Visa USA, May 2007

National	2007
	August	4.6%
	July	4.6%

	2006			2007
	Q2^r	Q3^r	Q4^r	Q1^r	Q2^r	June^r	July^p
r = revised; p = preliminary Covers most short- and intermediate-term credit extended to individuals, excluding loans secured by real estate. Nonrevolving credit includes automobile loans and all other loans not included in revolving credit, such as loans for mobile homes, education, boats, trailers or vacations. These loans may be secured or unsecured. Source: Federal Reserve
Total	5.7%	5.3%	4.5%	5.0%	5.1%	5.9%	3.7%
Revolving	8.8	6.5	7.7	6.0	5.8	6.4	6.6
Nonrevolving	3.9	4.7	2.6	4.4	4.7	5.6	1.9

Permits	United States	Northeast	Midwest	South	West
July '07 numbers are preliminary Source: Bureau of the Census and National Assn. of Realtors
July '07	1,373	154	217	673	329
Change from July '06	-22.6%	-12.5%	-22.2%	-25.6%	-20.7%
Starts
July '07	1,381	156	241	649	335
Change from July '06	-20.9%	6.1%	-17.5%	-26.3%	-21.5%
New home sales
July '07	870	53	112	492	213
Change from July '06	-10.2%	-11.7%	-18.2%	-3.0%	-19.6%
Existing home sales
July '07	5,750	1,020	1,350	2,260	1,120
Change from July '06	-9.0%	-2.9%	-5.6%	-10.7%	-15.2%

		Last year
	9/13/2007	9/14/2006
Dow	13424.88	11527.39
NASDAQ	2239.31	1903.45

Source: Data Network, Huntington, N.Y. Information and data herein, though believed accurate, is not guaranteed. Data Network is not liable for any inaccuracies.
Dow	16.46%
NASDAQ	17.64%

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