Retail trade - March 2019

In March, sales adjusted for calendar effects increased at constant prices by 5.9%, year‑on‑year (y-o-y); non-adjusted sales increased by 4.3%. Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade increased by 0.6%, month-on-month (m-o-m).

Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade, except of motor vehicles¹⁾ increased in March at constant prices by 0.6%, m-o-m. Sales for sale of non-food goods increased by 1.4% as well as sales for sale of automotive fuel, while sales for sale of food dropped by 0.3%.

Sales in retail trade adjusted for calendar effects (there was the same number of working days in March 2019 and March 2018) increased by 5.9%, y-o-y; sales for sale of non-food goods increased by 10.5%, sales for automotive fuel by 6.6%, and sales for food by 1.4%²⁾.

Non-adjusted sales in retail trade increased by 4.3%, y-o-y. Sales for sale of non-food goods increased by 10.5%, sales for sale of automotive fuel increased by 6.6%, while sales for sale of food decreased by 3.3 %²⁾. 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 March, in 2019 it was in April.

The highest sales growth was again in retail sale over the Internet or via mail order services³⁾ (+22.1%). As for specialised stores with non-food goods, consumers were interested (due to the nice weather) mainly in cultural, sports and recreation goods (growth by 18.5%), the assortment of clothing and footwear (growth by 14.8%), and other household equipment (+11.5%). Sales increased also in retail sale of information and communication equipment in specialised stores (+10.3%) and in retail sale of dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods, and cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores (+1.3%). On the other hand, sales decreased in retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (−3.6%) and in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating (−3.2%).

The price deflator in retail trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles related to the corresponding period of the previous year (VAT excluded) was 100.8%. It was influenced mainly by higher prices of automotive fuel, dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods, cosmetic and toilet articles, food, and of other household equipment in specialised stores. 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⁾ decreased by 1.0% at constant prices, m-o-m. Year-on-year, sales decreased by 0.6% (both adjusted and non‑adjusted for calendar effects). Sales for repair of motor vehicles decreased by 1.7%, y‑o‑y; sales for sale of motor vehicles (including spare parts) dropped by 0.3%, 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.

For the entire Q1 2019, sales in retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles (CZ‑NACE 47) adjusted for calendar effects increased at constant prices by 5.3%, y-o-y; non-adjusted sales increased by 4.8% (the difference between non-adjusted data and adjusted ones while having the same number of working days in the Q1 2019 and Q1 2018 was mainly owing to the influence of Easter holidays). Non-adjusted sales for sale of non‑food goods increased by 8.8%, y-o-y, for sale of automotive fuel by 4.4%, y-o-y, and for sale of food by 0.2%, y-o-y. Sales for sale and repair of motor vehicles (CZ‑NACE 45) decreased by 1.8%, y-o-y (both adjusted and non-adjusted for calendar effects). Non-adjusted sales for repair of motor vehicles dropped by 2.3%, y-o-y; sales for sale of motor vehicles (including spare parts) decreased by 1.7%, y‑o‑y.

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Notes:

All data in the text of the News Release are at constant prices.
Enterprises are classified to the economic activity according to their principal (prevailing) activity, which is such an activity, from which the enterprise gets the highest value added.
Data for March 2019 are preliminary. Final data for all months of 2019 will be published in June 2020.
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 for the sale of food 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.

Responsible head at the CZSO: Marie Boušková, Director of the Services Statistics Department, phone number: (+420) 274 052 935,e-mail: marie.bouskova@csu.gov.cz
Contact person: Jana Gotvaldová, Head of the Trade, Transport, and Information Service Activities Statistics Unit, phone number: (+420) 274 052 691, e-mail: jana.gotvaldova@csu.gov.cz
Method of data acquisition: direct survey of the CZSO (SP 1-12)
End of data collection: 26 April 2019
End of data processing: 2 May 2019
Related outputs: Base indices and y-o-y indices since 2000 and 2001, respectively, are available in time series (https://csu.gov.cz/sales_indices_monthly_retail_trade_hotels_and_restaurants_time_series).
Next News Release will be published on: 5 June 2019