Baton Rouge spending little changed in January

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Despite severe winter storms that shut down some local stores and kept shoppers away from others for several days, spending in East Baton Rouge Parish by consumers and businesses was basically unchanged in January from a year ago.

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1iiPAEs ) sales tax collection figures released by the city-parish Finance Department show businesses and consumers spent $602 million in January. That compares with nearly $603.4 million in spending in January 2013.

Sales were down in most categories, including retail trade and food stores, which account for more than half of all collections in the parish. Manufacturing and dining also were down. But spending on services was up by 9 percent.