Retail trade - April 2019

In April, sales adjusted for calendar effects (including Easter holidays) increased at constant prices by 5.4%, year‑on‑year (y-o-y); non-adjusted sales increased by 6.9%, y‑o‑y. Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade increased by 0.2%, month‑on‑month (m‑o‑m).

Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade, except of motor vehicles¹⁾ increased in April at constant prices by 0.2%, m-o-m. Sales for sale of food increased by 1.7%, while sales for sale of automotive fuel dropped by 1.4% and sales for sale of non-food goods by 0.5%.

Sales in retail trade adjusted for calendar effects (there was the same number of working days in April 2019 and April 2018) increased by 5.4%, y-o-y; sales for sale of non-food goods increased by 6.0%²⁾, sales for food by 5.6%²⁾, and sales for automotive fuel by 3.0%.

Non-adjusted sales in retail trade increased by 6.9%, y-o-y. Sales for sale of food increased by 10.0%²⁾, sales for sale of non-food goods increased by 5.4%²⁾, and sales for sale of automotive fuel increased by 3.0%. The difference between non-adjusted and adjusted data was mainly owing to the influence of the Easter holidays. In 2018, purchases related to Easter holidays were made in the end of March, in 2019 it was in April.

The highest sales growth was in retail sale over the Internet or via mail order services³⁾ (+20.0%). Higher purchases of food, boosted by Easter holidays, were reflected in the growth of sales in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating (+10.4%) and in retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (+3.7%). In specialised stores with non-food goods, sales for sale of information and communication equipment in specialised stores increased by 15.4%, for sale of other household equipment by 4.7%, for sale of dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods, and cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores by 4.0%, and for cultural, sports and recreation goods by 2.0%. On the other hand, sales decreased in retail sale of clothing, footwear and leather goods in specialised stores by 1.9%.

The price deflator in retail trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles related to the corresponding period of the previous year (VAT excluded) was 100.7%. It was influenced mainly by higher prices of automotive fuel, dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods, cosmetic and toilet articles, and food. On the other hand, prices decreased in retail sale of information and communication equipment in specialised stores, retail sale of clothing, footwear and leather goods in specialised stores, and in retail sale of cultural and recreation goods in specialised stores.  

Seasonally adjusted sales for sale and repair of motor vehicles⁴⁾ increased by 1.3% at constant prices, m-o-m. Year-on-year, sales increased by 0.7% (both adjusted and non‑adjusted for calendar effects). Sales for sale of motor vehicles (including spare parts) increased by 2.7%, y-o-y, while sales for repair of motor vehicles decreased by 6.2%, y‑o‑y.

International comparison of retail sales development in Member States of the EU is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/short-term-business-statistics/publications/news-releases.

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1) CZ-NACE 47 – retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles.
2) The difference between the development of adjusted sales and non-adjusted ones while having the same number of working days was caused mainly by a different number of above-average and average days as for the volume of sales and due to the influence of Easter holidays.
3) CZ-NACE 4791 – retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet.
4) CZ-NACE 45 – wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.