Retail Trade - April

In April, seasonally adjusted (SA) sales in retail trade increased month-on-month by 0.6% at constant prices and in the year-on-year comparison they dropped by 1.7%. Not seasonally adjusted sales decreased by 0.4%, y-o-y, which was mostly due to the sale of fuel. In wholesale, retail trade and repairs of motor vehicles and motorcycles seasonally adjusted sales increased by 3.5%, m-o-m, however, in the year-on-year comparison they were lower by 5.9% and not seasonally adjusted by 5.3%.
According to a new classification the retail trade (NACE 47) includes also retail sale of fuel, which was earlier covered by automotive segment (of which only wholesale, retail trade and repairs of motor vehicles and motorcycles remained). With seasonal, calendar and working day adjustment sales in retail trade increased in April, m-o-m, by 0.6%, at constant prices, sales from the sale of food increased by 2.2% while the non-food goods sales were 0.3% down. In the year on year comparison sales decreased by 1.7%, of which from the sale of fuel by 5.0%, from the sale of non-food goods by 2.7% and, by contrast, sales from the sale of food increased by 1.0%. Seasonally non-adjusted sales decreased by 0.4%, in the year-on-year comparison. The development was affected, among other things, by two factors. This year, there was one working day less, which also showed in the decrease of the non-food goods sale by 2.3% and the second factor was the increased purchase of food (+4.6%) due to Easter holiday, which was in March last year.

The drop of sales was registered especially in the retail trade of information and communication equipment (-9.1%), sale via Internet (-7.6%), sale of fuel (-5.1%), food in specialized stores (-4.3%), other household equipment (-2.9%) and pharmaceutical and medical goods (-1.3%). Growing were sales from the sale of products for recreation and culture (+6.9%), sale in non-specialize stores (+5.4%) and from the sale of clothing and footwear (+3.9%). The biggest contribution to the y-o-y drop of non-adjusted sales came from the sale of fuel, retail trade of other household equipment and information and communication equipment (see table no. 2).

The price deflator related to the corresponding period in 2008 was 96.3%. The biggest price increase was recorded in stores with pharmaceutical and medical goods (+4.5%) and in specialized stores with food, beverages and tobacco (+3.6%). By contrast, prices of fuel dropped by 17.5%, prices of information and communication equipment by 10.3% and prices of second-hand goods by 6.3%.

In April, according to data released by Eurostat, SA retail sales in the EU27 increased month-on-month by 0.5% at constant prices and, year-on-year, working day adjusted sales dropped by 1.4%. The sales grew most in Sweden (+3.7%), Austria (+2.6%) and in the United Kingdom (+2.4%). The biggest sales drops were recorded in Latvia (-29.6%), Lithuania (-19.5%) and in Estonia (-18.0%).
In wholesale, retail trade and repairs of motor vehicles and motorcycles (NACE 45), SA sales increased by 3.5% at constant prices month-on-month, and dropped by 5.9%, year-on-year. NSA sales dropped by 5.3%, year-on-year, of which from the sale of motor vehicles by 5.3% and from repairs by 5.5%.
In retail trade and in wholesale, retail trade and repairs of motor vehicles and motorcycles (NACE 47+45) SA sales at constant prices increased by 1.4%, month-on-month and year-on-year sales dropped by 3.0%. NSA sales decreased by 2.0%, year-on-year.

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Notes
Contact: Alena Hellerová, tel. (+420) 274052921, e-mail: alena.hellerova@csu.gov.cz
Data source: CZSO direct survey in enterprises
End of data collection: 4 June 2009
End of data processing: 9June 2009
The data for April 2009 are preliminary, data for January to March were revised; final data for all months of 2009 will be available in June 2010 at the latest. Monthly data since 2000 (y-o-y indices since 2001) were also revised and are available in time series ( /sales_indices_monthly_retail_trade_hotels_and_restaurants_time_series ).