Retail Trade - February 2008

In February, seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade except of automotive segment grew by 0.4%, month-on-month, at constant prices, and by 3.4%, year-on-year, not seasonally adjusted by 5.4%. The y-o-y sales growth came mainly from the non-food goods sale. Seasonally adjusted sales in automotive segment stagnated, month-on-month, in the year-on-year comparison they increased by 6.9% and not seasonally adjusted by 8.2%. The sale of cars has been growing continuously for 26 months. Seasonally adjusted sales in hotels and restaurants decreased, m-o-m, by 1.0% and not seasonally adjusted grew by 1.8%, year-on-year.
Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade (CZ-NACE 52) increased in February by 0.4%, month-on-month, at constant prices, of which sales from the sale of food, beverages and tobacco by 0.5% and from the sale of the non-food goods by 0.4%. The trend component increased by 0.3%. In the long-term run, the lowest growth of the trend component was recorded in November 2007 and it has been modestly increasing since (Table 3).

Graph 1
Year-on-year, after seasonal and working day adjustments (In February 2008 there was one day more than in February 2007) sales in retail trade except of automotive segment increased by 3.4% at constant prices, only working day adjusted by 3.5%. Not seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade increased by 5.4% of which sales from the non-food goods sale by 6.8% and from the sale of food, beverages and tobacco by 3.5%.

The biggest contribution to the total sales growth in February was attributed to specialized stores with other non-food goods, to non specialized stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating and specialized stores with electronics, electrical appliances, furniture and other household articles. The fastest growth recorded sales in stores with textiles and footwear and in retail trade with insignificant contribution to the total growth operated via Internet or mail-order houses. Like in January the sale of pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles and specialized sale of food, beverages and tobacco recorded a drop (Table 2).

Broken by size groups of enterprises the biggest growth of sales occurred in enterprises with 20 to 49 employees (by 9.4%) and in enterprises with 100+ employees (by 8.7%). Enterprises with 50 to 99 employees recorded a 5.9% growth and enterprises with 0 to 19 employees recorded a 1.1% growth.

The price deflator (related to the corresponding period of the previous year) was 104.6%. The biggest price increase was recorded in food stores of which in specialized stores by 12.2% and in non-specialized stores by 9.6%. In stores with pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles prices increased by 6.0%, in retail sale via stand sales and other sale operated outside stores by 5.4% and in non-specialized stores with the non-food goods predominating by 3.3%. In contrast, in sale via mail order houses prices dropped by 2.0%, in stores with textiles, footwear and leather goods by 1.8% with second-hand goods by 1.7%, with household articles by 1.0% and with other non-food goods by 0.4%.

In February, according to data released by Eurostat, seasonally adjusted retail sales at constant prices in the EU27 increased by 0.3%, month-on-month, and, in the year-on-year comparison, by 2.0%, (working days adjusted). Among member states for which data were available, year-on-year sales increases were recorded in Slovakia (+16.6%), Lithuania (+15.1%), Bulgaria (+11.7%), Finland (+7.0%), the United Kingdom (+6.8%), Poland (+5.9%), Luxembourg (+5.2%), Estonia (+5.0%), Sweden (+4.7%), Belgium (+3.7%), Portugal (+3.1%), Austria (+2.4%), Latvia (+1.0%) and in Denmark (+0.9%). Prices dropped in Germany (-3.1%) and in Spain (-2.6%).
In the automotive segment (CZ-NACE 50), seasonally adjusted sales stagnated, month-on-month, and in the year-on-year comparison they increased by 6.9%, at constant prices. Not seasonally adjusted sales increased year-on-year by 8.2%. Sales from retail sale, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles increased by 8.8% and from the sale of automotive fuel by 7.1%. Sale of cars has been growing incessantly for 26 months.

In retail trade incl. the automotive segment (CZ-NACE 52 + 50), seasonally adjusted sales at constant prices increased by 0.3% , month-on-month and by 4.5% in the year on year comparison. Not seasonally adjusted sales grew by 6.3%, year-on-year.

In hotels and restaurants (CZ-NACE 55) seasonally adjusted sales dropped by 1.0%. Not seasonally adjusted sales increased by 1.8%, year-on-year, of which in restaurants, bars and canteens by 3.1 %, while in hotels and camping sites sales dropped 1.6%. The biggest decrease of sales in hotels and camping sites was recorded in enterprises with 100+ employees (by 4.7%).

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Note
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: 8 April 2008
End of data processing: 11 April 2008
The data for February 2008 are preliminary; 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 )