Retail trade - March 2021

In March, sales adjusted for calendar effects increased by 5.0% in real terms (at constant prices), year‑on‑year (y-o-y). Non-adjusted sales increased by 6.6%, y-o-y. Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade decreased by 1.6%, month-on-month (m-o-m).

Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade, except of motor vehicles¹⁾ decreased in real terms (at constant prices) by 1.6%, m-o-m, in March. Sales for sale of food decreased by 0.5%, sales for sale of non-food goods by 1.2%, and sales for sale of automotive fuel dropped by 7.5%.  

Sales in retail trade adjusted for calendar effects increased by 5.0%, y-o-y. Sales for sale of non-food goods increased by 12.1%, whereas sales for sale of food decreased by 0.5% and sales for sale of automotive fuel dropped by 3.5%. March 2021 had one working day more compared to March 2020.

Non-adjusted sales in retail trade increased by 6.6%, y-o-y. Sales for sale of non-food goods increased by 14.3% and sales for sale of food by 0.4%, whereas sales for sale of automotive fuel decreased by 2.2%.

March results were influenced by measures against the spread of coronavirus due to which this March, as well as in the second half of March 2020, many stores with some assortments of non‑food goods were closed or their operation was restricted. Consumers were purchasing goods more over the Internet during the pandemic. Online shops²⁾  reported growth of sales by 36.2%, y-o-y. The following also reported growth of sales: retail sale of other household equipment in specialised stores (by 18.8%), retail sale of cultural and recreation goods in specialised stores (by 10.8%), retail sale of information and communication equipment in specialised stores (by 10.3%), and retail sale of cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores (by 2.1%). Conversely, sales continued to decrease in dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods in specialised stores (by 4.6%) and in retail sale of clothing, footwear and leather goods in specialised stores (by 39.4%). In retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating sales increased by 0.6%, whereas in retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores sales dropped by 3.1%.

The price deflator in retail trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles related to the corresponding period of the previous year (VAT excluded) was 100.1%. It was mainly influenced by higher prices of dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods, cultural and recreation goods, other household equipment, clothing, footwear and leather goods, automotive fuel, and food. Conversely, prices of cosmetic and toilet articles and information and communication equipment decreased.

Seasonally adjusted sales for sale and repair of motor vehicles³⁾ decreased in real terms (at constant prices) by 2.5%, m-o-m, and sales adjusted for calendar effects increased by 25.7%, y-o-y. Non-adjusted sales increased by 30.1%, y-o-y; sales for sale of motor vehicles (including spare parts) increased by 31.7%, y‑o-y, and sales for repair of motor vehicles increased by 24.0%, y‑o‑y.

International comparison of retail sales development in Member States of the EU is available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/short-term-business-statistics/publications.

For the whole Q1 2021, sales in retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles¹⁾ adjusted for calendar effects decreased in real terms (at constant prices) by 1.3%, y-o-y; non-adjusted sales decreased by 2.6% (there was one working day less in the Q1 2021 compared to the corresponding period of the previous year). Non-adjusted sales for sale of non‑food goods decreased by 1.3%, y-o-y, sales for sale of food decreased by 2.2%, y-o-y, and sales for sale of automotive fuel by 9.2%, y-o-y. Sales for sale and repair of motor vehicles³⁾ adjusted for calendar effects increased by 8.0%, y-o-y; non-adjusted ones increased by 6.5%. Non-adjusted sales for sale of motor vehicles (including spare parts) increased by 7.7%, y‑o‑y, and sales for repair of motor vehicles 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 February 2021 have been revised in accordance with the CZSO revision policy. Data for March 2021 are preliminary. Final data for all months of 2021 will be published in March 2022.
We point out that since the way estimates for non-surveyed part of the sample are made has changed, previously released data may be revised more.
¹⁾ CZ-NACE 47 – retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles.
²⁾ CZ-NACE 4791 – retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet. 
³⁾ CZ-NACE 45 – wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.
In June 2021, the CZSO will publish time series of sales indices for wholesale trade (CZ-NACE 46) and for the whole trade (CZ-NACE G).

Responsible head at the CZSO: Marie Boušková, Director of the Trade, Transport, Services, Tourism, and Environmental Statistics Department, phone number: (+420) 274 052 935, (+420) 732 349 448, e-mail: marie.bouskova@csu.gov.cz
Contact person: Jana Gotvaldová, Head of the Trade, Transport, and Services 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: 28 April 2021
End of data processing: 3 May 2021
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: 8 June 2021