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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1982
SURVEY OF OCTOBER RETAIL SALES
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THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES FOR THE RETAIL TRADE SECTOR IN OCTOBER 1982 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $4 442 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS.
AT 131, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX FOR OCTOBER 1982 ROSE BY 5 POINTS OR 4 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER 1982 AND BY 3 POINTS OR 2 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1981.
THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX FOR OCTOBER 1982, AT 105, WAS 3 POINTS OR 3 PER CENT HIGHER THAN THAT FOR SEPTEMBER 1982, BUT IT WAS 7 POINTS OR 6 PER CENT LOWER THAN THAT FOR OCTOBER 1981,
COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER 1982, THE RETAIL SALES FOR MOST MAJOR TRADE GROUPS AND SELECTED TRADES INCREASED IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS RECORDED THE HIGHEST GROWTH IN VALUE TERMS AT 26 PER CENT, FOLLOWED BY DEPARTMENT STORES AT 16 PER CENT, CONSUMER GOODS AT 5 PER CENT AND FUELS AT 5 PER CENT. THEIR CORRESPONDING INCREASES IN VOLUME TERMS WERE 24 PER CENT, 16 PER CENT, 5 PER CENT AND 2 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES DECREASED BY 14 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND 13 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS. THE VOLUME OF RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES AND FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO ALSO DECREASED BY 4 PER CENT AND 2 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.
COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1981, SUPERMARKETS INCREASED BY 25 PER CENT, FUELS BY 13 PER CENT, CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS BY 9 PER CENT AND FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO BY 7 PER CENT IN TERMS OF THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES. IN VOLUME TERMS, SUPERMARKETS, FUELS AND FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO RECORDED INCREASES OF 20 PER CENT, 3 PER CENT AND 1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY WHILE CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS RECORDED A DECREASE OF 2 PER CENT. RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND CONSUMER DURABLES, ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY 47 PER CENT AND 17 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN VALUE TERMS. THE IR RESPECTIVE DECREASES IN VOLUME TERMS WERE 55 PER CENT AND 20 PER CENT.
TWO STATISTICAL TABLES (ATTACHED) PRESENT THE REVISED FIGURES FOR SEPTEMBER AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES FOR OCTOBER 1982 ON THE TOTAL RETAIL SALES, AND ON THE RETAIL SALES VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES BY SELECTED TRADES AND MAJOR TRADE GROUPS. THE AVERAGE MONTHLY RETAIL SALES IN 1980 ARE TAKEN AS 100. COMPARISONS OF THE OCTOBER RESULTS WITH THOSE OF THE PRECEDING MONTH AND OF THE CORRESPONDING MONTH IN 1981 ARE ALSO GIVEN.
ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, TELEPHONE NO. 3-7216024.
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