15
THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1985
FEBRUARY RETAIL SALES SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED
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THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR, ESTIMATED AT $5 857 MILLION, WAS 27 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN FEBRUARY 1984, WHILE THE VOLUME WAS 26 PER CENT HIGHER, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
THIS COMPARISON, HOWEVER, IS AFFECTED BY THE DATE OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR, 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 DECEMBER 1984 TO FEBRUARY 1985 ROSE BY 12 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 10 PER CENT IN VOLUME WHEN COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR AGO.
COMPARING FEBRUARY 1985 WITH JANUARY 1985, AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON IS AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, RETAIL SALES DECREASED BY ONE PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS, HE SAID.
IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALL FED PRODUCTS ROSE BY 52 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 40 PER CENT IN VOLUME WHEN COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1984.
BOTH CONSUMER DURABLES AND +OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 29 PER CENT IN SALE VALUE, WHILST THEIR INCREASES IN SALES VOLUME WERE 26 PER CENT AND 28 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.
RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO ALSO ROSE BY 22 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 23 PER CENT IN VOLUME. FUELS SHOWED THE SMALLEST INCREASE OF TWO PER CENT IN VALUE AND THREE PER CENT IN VOLUME.
COMPARING THE PERIOD DECEMBER 1984 TO FEBRUARY 1985 WITH THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR AGO, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS RECORDED THE LARGEST INCREASE IN VALUE TERMS, AT 25 PER CENT, FOLLOWED BY CONSUMER DURABLES AND +OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+, AT 17 PER CENT AND 14 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. THE IR INCREASES IN VOLUME TERMS WERE 13 PER CENT
EACH.
FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO SHOWED A SMALLER INCREASE OF THREE PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. FUELS RECORDED NO CHANGE IN SALES VALUE, BUT AN INCREASE OF ONE PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME.
WHEN COMPARED