Retail Trade - August 2004
A considerable rise in sales of non-food goods
Publication Date: 18. 10. 2004
Product Code: r-9101-04
Month-on-month comparison:
In August 2004, compared with July, seasonally adjusted constant price retail sales incl. the automotive segment fell by 1.3%. This figure was predominantly affected by lower sales in the automotive segment (-4.2%) and lower sale of food (-0.9%), whereas enterprises selling non-food goods gained more (+0.9%).
Year-on-year comparison :
Seasonally adjusted constant price retail sales incl. the automotive segment grew by 2.3%, of which by 1.4% in the automotive segment and by 2.8% in the remaining retail trade. The most considerable growth was recorded for sale of textiles, clothing and footwear (+14.0%) and sale of household equipment and appliances (+8.2%), whereas maintenance and repair of motor vehicles (-2.2%) and other retail sale in non-specialised stores (-1.5%) dropped.
Not adjusted for seasonal fluctuations , the growth of retail sales was the highest, along with that in June, in 2004 (+3.7% both). The higher number of working days (+1) in August 2004, compared to August 2003, affected higher sales by all size groups of enterprises, sales of enterprises with 50-99 employees growing most (+8.9%).
Sales in the automotive segment were by 3.3% higher, sale of motor vehicles rising fastest (+7.3%). Results of the statistical sales survey are not comparable in terms of methodology with data given by the Automotive Industry Association, which encompass only information on new motor vehicles. The statistical survey, on the other hand, covers sales of new and second-hand cars alike, sale of parts and accessories incl. wholesale (markedly growing over last few months) and export sales. The growing sales were also affected by a different structure of the cars sold, where sharply dropping sale of passenger cars was partly eliminated by higher sales of utility vehicles, trucks and buses, which are more expensive than passenger cars. Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles increased by only 0.9%, sale of automotive fuel by 0.3%.
The sales growth in retail trade (excl. the automotive segment) of 3.9% was among the highest in 2004. The 7.1% growth of sales in stores selling non-food goods was the highest since September 2003. Sale of food stagnated. Sales in the individual assortment types of stores developed as follows:
- sales in non-specialised stores decreased by 0.3%, of which in stores selling predominantly non-food goods by 0.6% and in stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating by 0.2%;
- sales in specialised stores with non-food goods grew markedly (+8.9%), sales in specialised stores with food, beverages and tobacco grew less (+1.0%);
- sales in specialised stores with non-food goods were up across all assortment groups, of which sale of textiles, clothing and footwear by 15.0%, electronics, electrical appliances, hardware, furniture and other household goods by 13.0%, stationery, sports equipment, clocks, jewellery, flowers, computers and other non-food goods by 7.3%, and pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles by 4.1%.
International comparison :
In August, according to estimates of Eurostat, seasonally adjusted retail sales excl. the automotive segment in the EU25 were down 0.4% m-o-m; not seasonally adjusted sales increased by 1.8% y-o-y. Data available for the EU Member States suggest that sales increased by 6.9% in the United Kingdom, 4.5% in Portugal, 1.0% in France, 6.5% in Sweden and 5.9% in Poland. Sales in Germany and Spain dropped by 2.4% and 1.6%, respectively.
Note :
Contact: Alena Hellerová, phone (+420) 274 052 921, e-mail: ahellerova@gw.czso.cz
Data source: CZSO direct survey in enterprises
End of data collection: 6 October 2004
End of data processing: 11 October 2004
Related publication: 9106-04 Monthly Survey in Retail Trade, Hotels and Restaurants ( https://csu.gov.cz )
The data are preliminary; revised data for August 2004 will be released in following two monthly News Releases; final data for each month of the year 2004 will be known in June 2005.