Retail Trade - December 2008

In December seasonally adjusted (SA) sales in retail trade except of automotive segment stagnated month-on-month at constant prices and in the year-on-year comparison sales dropped by 1.5%. Not seasonally adjusted (NSA) sales decreased by 0.8%, of which for food, beverages and tobacco by 1.1% and for non-food goods by 0.6%. In the automotive segment, SA sales at constant prices were 1.6% down, m-o-m, and 10.6%, y-o-y; NSA sales were down by 7.8%, y-o-y. SA sales in hotels and restaurants decreased by 2.9%, m-o-m, and NSA sales were 9.8% down, y-o-y. Over the year 2008 sales in retail trade except of automotive segment increased by 0.9% y-o-y, at constant prices, which was the smallest growth since 1999.
In December, SA sales in retail trade (CZ-NACE 52) at constant prices stagnated, month-on-month, while sales from the sale of food, beverages and tobacco increased by 0.9% and sales from the sale of non-food goods dropped by 0.5%. The trend component slightly slowed down to -0.1% compared with two previous months (Table 3).

Graph 1
Year-on-year, adjusted for working day effects (December 2008 had two working days more than December 2007), sales in retail trade dropped by 3.3% and with seasonal adjustment by 1.5%. NSA sales fell by 0.8%, of which from the sale of food, beverages and tobacco by 1.1% and from the sale of non-food goods by 0.6%.

Total drop of sales was most contributed to by non-specialised stores with food, beverages and tobacco predominating and specialized stores with furniture, lighting equipment, household articles, electrical appliances, radio and television goods, hardware, paints and glass. Relatively big growth of sales was recorded for specialized stores with textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods and retail trade via Internet or mail order houses with insignificant contribution to the total growth. Good results were recorded also for many stores selling goods for outdoor activities (Table 2).

The price deflator related to the corresponding period in 2007 was 100.8%. The biggest price increase was recorded in stores with pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles (+4.7%). In stores with food, beverages and tobacco prices grew by 2.3%, of which in specialized stores by 2.7% and in non-specialized stores by 2.2%. In contrast, in stores with household articles prices dropped by 1.6%, in sale via mail order houses by 1.5%, in stores with second-hand goods by 1.3% and in stores with other non-food goods and with textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods - both by 0.7%.

In December, according to data released by Eurostat, SA retail sales in the EU27 stagnated month-on-month and year-on-year (working days adjusted) sales dropped by 0.8% at constant prices. Among the member states for which data were available, year-on-year sales increases were recorded in Poland (+4.6%), Slovakia (+3.2%), Belgium and the United Kingdom (both by 1.8%). Sales dropped in Latvia (-16.9%), Estonia (-13.2%), Denmark (-9.0%), Lithuania (-8.9%), Portugal (-6.3%), Spain and Luxembourg (both –5.9%), Slovenia (-5.3%), Finland (-1.8%), Sweden (-1.0%), Bulgaria (-0.6%) Germany and Austria (both -0.3%) and in Romania (-0.2%).
In the automotive segment (CZ-NACE 50), SA sales at constant prices dropped by 1.6% month-on-month and by 10.6% year-on-year. NSA sales decreased by 7.8%, year-on-year, of which the sales from the sale, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles dropped by 12.5% while the automotive fuel sales were 2.2% up.

In retail trade, incl. the automotive segment (CZ-NACE 52 + 50), SA sales at constant prices decreased by 0.5% month-on-month and by 4.6% year-on-year. NSA sales dropped by 2.9%, year-on-year.

In hotels and restaurants (CZ-NACE 55), SA sales at constant prices decreased by 2.9%, month-on-month. NSA sales dropped by 9.8%, year-on-year, in which sales in hotels, camping sites and other provisions of short-stay accommodation by 14.8% and in restaurants, canteens and catering by 8.3%.
Over the year 2008 sales in retail trade increased at constant prices by 0.9%, y-o-y, which was the lowest increase since 1999. Sales for food dropped by 1.5% and sales from the sale of non-food goods increased by 2.4%. The sale of food, beverages and tobacco was, from the beginning of the year until October, negatively affected by relatively big price growth, y-o-y, which was started in November 2007. In contrast, the non-food goods sold very well until September – with wobbles in March and August, however, in Q4 the sale did not exceed the level of 2007 in either month.

In automotive segment sales dropped by 0.2%. The sales from the sale and repairs of motor vehicles dropped by 2.3% due to extraordinary big drop in Q4, the automotive fuel sales in contrast increased by 3.6%.

In hotels and restaurants sales dropped by 2.7%, in which in hotels, camping sites and other provisions of short-stay accommodation by 5.3% and in restaurants, canteens and catering by 1.7%. Like in majority of other branches yearly results were affected especially by negative development in Q4 when sales in hotels dropped almost by 10% and in restaurants by 6%.

---

Notes
1) The whole time series is seasonally adjusted every month; indices in the graph are changed retroactively.

Contact: Alena Hellerová, tel. (+420) 274052921, e-mail: alena.hellerova@csu.gov.cz
Data source: CZSO direct survey in enterprises
End of data collection: 5 February 2009
End of data processing: 10 February 2009
The data for December 2008 are preliminary, data for the previous months are not revised; final data for all months of 2008 will be available in June 2009 at the latest. Monthly data since 1997 are available in time series ( /sales_indices_monthly_retail_trade_hotels_and_restaurants_time_series ).