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TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 1982
RESULTS OF MONTHLY SURVEYS OF RETAIL SALES
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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY (TUESDAY) RELEASED THE RESULTS OF THE MONTHLY SURVEYS OF RETAIL SALES FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 1981 TO JANUARY 1982.
THESE SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED IN 1981 AND EARLY 1982 TO COLLECT SALES STATISTICS TO PROVIDE AN INDICATOR OF CURRENT ECONOMIC TRENDS IN GENERAL AND OF CONSUMER SPENDING IN PARTICULAR.
OF A TOTAL OF SOME 47 000 RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS IN BUSINESS IN 1981, ABOUT 1 100 ESTABLISHMENTS WERE SELECTED AND INCLUDED IN THE SAMPLE.
1981.
THIS SAMPLE OF ESTABLISHMENTS REMAINED UNCHANGED THROUGHOUT
A DIFFERENT SAMPLE OF SOME 1 200 ESTABLISHMENTS WAS SELECTED FOR 1982.
VALUE DATA OF RETAIL SALES WERE COLLECTED FROM THE SAMPLED ESTABLISHMENTS FOR COMPILATION OF RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEXES.
TO REMOVE THE EFFECTS OF PRICE CHANGES, SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED PRICE INDEXES WERE USED TO DEFLATE THE VALUË INDEXES SO AS TO PRODUCE THE VOLUME INDEXES.
THE RELATED TABLES (WHICH ARE BEING TRANSMITTED BY FACSIMILE NETWORK) SHOW THE VALUES OF OVERALL RETAIL SALES, AND THE RETAIL SALES VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES BY SELECTED TRADES AND MAJOR TRADE GROUPS FOR EACH OF THE MONTHS OF 1981 AND FOR JANUARY 1982 (WITH THE AVERAGE MONTHLY RETAIL SALES IN 1980 AS 100).
THE SURVEY RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX FOR THE ENTIRE RETAIL SECTOR, FROM 134 IN JANUARY 1981, LEVELLED OFF TO 102 IN FEBRUARY 1981 AND SUBSEQUENTLY ROSE TO 137 IN DECEMBER OF THE SAME YEAR.
WHEN ADJUSTED FOR CHANGES IN RETAIL PRICES, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX STOOD AT 127 IN JANUARY 1981, AND 119 IN DECEMBER 1981.
REDUCTIONS IN THE VOLUME OF OVERALL RETAIL SALES TO BELOW THE AVERAGE LEVEL IN 1980 OCCURRED IN FEBRUARY AND APRIL 1981, WITH THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEXES AT 97 AND 99 RESPECTIVELY.
THE OCCURRENCE OF PEAKS IN RETAIL SALES AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF 1981 WAS LARGELY DUE TO SEASONAL INFLUENCES WITH PEOPLE SPENDING MORE TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS AND THE CHINESE NEW YEAR.
WHEN COMPARED