SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1984
1
NOVEMBER RETAIL SALES HIT $5 BILLION
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THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES FOR THE RETAIL TRADE SECTOR IN NOVEMBER 1983 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $5 089 MILLION, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS COMPILED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
AT 150, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX INCREASED BY ONE POINT OR ONE PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE OCTOBER 1983 FIGURE, AND BY 18 POINTS OR 14 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE NOVEMBER 1982 FIGURE.
THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX, AT 106, WAS THE SAME AS THOSE FOR OCTOBER 1983 AND NOVEMBER 1982.
COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1983, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS INCREASED BY SIX PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS, AND THOSE OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS BY TWO PER CENT. THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO FUELS; AND CONSUMER DURABLES, HOWEVER, DECREASED BY ONE PER CENT, THREE PER CENT AND THREE PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. IN VOLUME TERMS, RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO; AND CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS INCREASED, EACH BY TWO PER CENT, WHILE THOSE OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS REMAINED THE SAME. THE VOLUME OF RETAIL SALES OF FUELS AND CONSUMER DURABLES DROPPED BY TWO PER CENT AND THREE PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.
COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1982, RETAIL SALES OF FUELS ROSE BY 20 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND FOUR PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS, WHILE THOSE OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS INCREASED BY 16 PER CENT AND TWO PER CENT, AND OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO BY 14 PER CENT AND ONE PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES, ALTHOUGH SHOWING AN INCREASE OF 10 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS DROPPED BY FOUR PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS. RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS WENT UP BY FIVE PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS BUT DECLINED BY THREE PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.
ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, RETAIL SALES OF DEPARTMENT STORES INCREASED IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS WHEN COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1983 SALES. RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS AND MOTOR VEHICLES, ON THE OTHER HAND, DECLINED IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. WHEN COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1982 SALES, HOWEVER, RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN VALUE TERMS THOUGH ONLY SLIGHTLY IN VOLUME TERMS. DEPARTMENT STORES SHOWED A LARGE INCREASE IN SALES VALUE BUT ONLY A MARGINAL RISE IN SALES VOLUME.
RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH
VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS,
TABLE 1 PRESENTS THE REVISED FIGURES FOR OCTOBER 1983 AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES FOR NOVEMBER 1983 OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES.
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