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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1985
ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY IN TERMS OF VALUE AND VOLUME WHEN COMPARED WITH MARCH 1984. DEPARTMENT STORES AND SUPERMARKETS ALSO SHOWED "ODERATE INCREASES. HOWEVER, THOSE OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES DROPPED MODERATELY IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.
COMPARING THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1985 WITH THE SAME QUARTER IN 1984, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES ROSE CONSIDERABLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. SUPERMARKETS, DEPARTMENT STORES, CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES ALSO RECORDED
INCREASES IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.
WHEN COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1985, RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. HOWEVER SUPERMARKETS, DEPARTMENT STORES AND MOTOR VEHICLES ALL RECORDED DECREASES IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.
TABLE 1 PRESENTS THE REVISED TOTAL SALES FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY 1985 AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURE FOR MARCH 1985.
TABLES 2 SHOWS THE VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES OF RETAIL SALES "Y MAJOR TRADE GROUPS AND SELECTED TRADES (WHICH FORM PART OF THE RELEVANT MAJOR TRADE GROUPS), WITH AVERAGE MONTHLY RETAIL SALES IN 1980 TAKEN AS 100. COMPARISONS OF MARCH 1985 RESULTS WITH THOSE OF FEBRUARY 1985 AND MARCH 1984 AND COMPARISONS OF RETAIL SALES IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1985 WITH THOSE IN THE SAME QUARTER IN 1984 ARE ALSO GIVEN.
GRAPHS 1 AND 2 DEPICT THE INDEX MOVEMENTS OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES FROM JANUARY 1983 TO FEBRUARY 1985.
THE REPORT CONTAINING THE ANALYSIS OF THE MARCH 1985 SURVEY RESULTS IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE, CONNAUGHT PLACE, AT $1 PER COPY.
ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT (TEL: 3-7216024).
/TABLE 1: