Retail Trade - November 2007

In November, seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade except of automotive segment dropped by 0.2%, month-on-month, at constant prices, and increased by 4.4%, year-on-year, not seasonally adjusted by 4.7%. A slow-down of the growth came from food sale. Seasonally adjusted sales dropped also in automotive segment (-2.5%), month-on-month, while in the year-on year comparison they increased by 5.2%, not seasonally adjusted by 8.4%. Seasonally adjusted sales in hotels and restaurants fell by 0.3%, month-on-month, not seasonally adjusted by 1.1%, year-on-year.
Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade (CZ-NACE 52) dropped in November by 0.2%, month-on-month, at constant prices, of which sales from food, beverages and tobacco by 0.7% while, in contrast, the non-food goods sales increased by 0.1%. The m-o-m growth of the trend component raised only by 0.3% for the second consecutive month; such a small growth was last recorded in March 2005 (Table 1).

Graph 1
Year-on-year, after seasonal and working day adjustments (one working day more in November 2007) sales in retail trade except of automotive segment increased by 4.4% at constant prices, with only working day adjustment they increased by 3.2%. Not seasonally adjusted sales recorded the smallest increase from the beginning of 2007 (by 4.7%) including sales from non-food goods by 7.8% and from food, beverages and tobacco by 0.1%.

Broken by size groups of enterprises the biggest growth of sales occurred in enterprises with 50 to 99 employees and with 20 to 49 employees (by 9.6% and 9.0%, respectively). In other size groups the growth ranged from 3.9% to 4.2%.

In November, the total growth came mostly from specialized stores with electronics, electrical appliances, furniture and other household articles and stores with cosmetic and toilet articles. The fastest growth recorded sales in retail trade with insignificant contribution to the total growth operated via Internet or mail-order houses. Lower interest of consumers in purchases of food, beverages and tobacco continued which evidently corresponded with the price growth. The food sale in specialized stores recorded even a drop (-2.3%), in non-specialized stores with food, beverages and tobacco predominating the growth of sales slowed down markedly to 0.5% (Table 3).

The price deflator (related to the corresponding period of the previous year) was 103.8% (102.7% in October and 101.7% in September). The biggest price increase was recorded in food stores of which in specialized stores by 12.2% and in non-specialized stores by 9.9%. In retail sale via stand sales and other sale operated outside stores prices increased by 5.0%, in non-specialized stores with food, beverages and tobacco predominating by 3.4%, in stores with pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles by 0.7% and in stores with textiles and footwear by 0.2%. In contrast, in stores with other non-food goods prices dropped by 1.5%, in sale via mail order houses by 1.3%, in stores with household articles by 0.9% and in stores with second-hand goods by 0.7%.

In November, according to data released by Eurostat, seasonally adjusted constant price retail sales in the EU27 dropped by 0.2%, month-on-month, and, in the year-on-year comparison, increased by 0.9%, (working days adjusted). Among member states for which data were available, year-on-year sales increases were recorded in Poland (+13.1%), Latvia (+12.3%), Lithuania (+9.3%), Sweden (+5.6%), Finland (+5.4%), Slovenia (+4.4%), the United Kingdom (+4.3%), Estonia (+2.6%), Slovakia (+2.2%), Bulgaria (+2.1%), Portugal (+0.4%) and in Spain (+0.2%). Prices dropped in Belgium (-5.3%), Denmark (-0.8%), France (-0.6%) and in Luxembourg (-0.5%).
In the automotive segment (CZ-NACE 50), seasonally adjusted sales fell month-on-month at constant prices by 2.5% and increased by 5.2%, year-on-year. Not seasonally adjusted sales increased year-on-year by 8.4% of which in sale, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles by 11.0% and in sale of automotive fuel by 3.5%.

In retail trade incl. the automotive segment (CZ-NACE 52 + 50), seasonally adjusted sales at constant prices decreased by 0.9% month-on-month and year on year increased by 4.6%. Not seasonally adjusted sales grew by 5.9%, year-on-year.

In hotels and restaurants (CZ-NACE 55) seasonally adjusted sales dropped by 0.3% at constant prices month-on-month and not seasonally adjusted sales decreased by 1.1%, year on year, while sales in hotels and camping sites grew by 4.2% and in restaurants, bars and canteens dropped, in contrast, by 2.8%. The drop of sales in restaurants, bars and canteens came mainly from small enterprises with 0 to 19 employees whose contribution to sales made almost two thirds and the price drop was 6.1%. In hotels and camping sites sales grew in all size groups of enterprises. The growth was most affected by hotels and camping sites with +100 employees which recorded the biggest contribution to sales and reported a 2.3% increase. The smallest contribution to the total growth came from enterprises with 50-99 employees even though their sales recorded the most rapid growth (by 11.3%).

---

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: 11 January 2008
End of data processing: 16 January 2008
The data for November 2007 are preliminary; final data for all months of 2007 will be available in June 2008 at the latest. Monthly data since 1997 are available in time series ( /sales_indices_monthly_retail_trade_hotels_and_restaurants_time_series )