MONDAY, APRIL 1, 1985
JANUARY RETAIL SALES SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED
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THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES IN JANUARY THIS YEAR, ESTIMATED AT $5 907 MILLION, WAS ONE PER CENT LOWER THAN IN JANUARY 1984, WHILE THE VOLUME WAS TWO PER CENT LOWER, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THIS COMPARISON HOWEVER, WAS AFFECTED BY THE LUNAR NEW YEAR DATE, WHICH FELL ON FEBRUARY 20, THIS YEAR BUT ON FEBRUARY 2 LAST YEAR, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID.
RETAIL SALES FOR THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD NOVEMBER 1984 TO JANUARY 1985 ROSE BY SEVEN PER CENT IN VALUE AND FIVE PER CENT IN VOLUME WHEN COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR AGO.
COMPARING JANUARY 1985 WITH DECEMBER 1984, AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON WAS AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, RETAIL SALES DECREASED BY FOUR PER CENT IN VALUE AND THREE PER CENT IN VOLUME, HE SAID.
WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1984, HOWEVER RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES IN JANUARY 1985 ROSE BY 10 PER CENT IN VALUE AND SEVEN PER CENT IN VOLUME, WHILE THOSE OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ INCREASED BY THREE PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.
CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS SHOWED AN INCREASE OF TWO PER CENT IN SALES VALUE BUT A DROP OF EIGHT PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME, FUELS, WITH A DECREASE OF ONE PER CENT IN SALES VALUE. SHOWED AN INCREASE OF ONE PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO SHOWED THE LARGEST DECREASE, OF 14 PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.
COMPARING THE PERIOD NOVEMBER 1984 - JANUARY 1985 WITH THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR AGO, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS RECORDED THE LARGEST INCREASE IN VALUE TERMS AT 17 PER CENT, FOLLOWED BY CONSUMER DURABLES AND +OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+, AT 14 PER CENT AND EIGHT PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. IN VOLUME TERMS, THEIR CORRESPONDING INCREASES WERE FIVE PER CENT, 10 PER CENT AND SEVEN PER CENT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, FUELS RECORDED A DROP OF TWO PER CENT IN SALES VALUE BUT REMAINED UNCHANGED IN SALES VOLUME. RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO FELL BY TWO PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.
WHEN COMPARED