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THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1986
CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES SHOWED A SLIGHT INCREASE IN SALES VALUE BUT A SLIGHT DROP IN SALES VOLUME. DEPARTMENT STORES HAD SLIGHT DECREASES IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.
WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1986, AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON IS AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, TOTAL RETAIL SALES FOR FEBRUARY 1986 DECLINED BY 10 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 11 PER CENT IN VOLUME. RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO REMAINED UNCHANGED IN VALUE BUT DECREASED BY 3 PER CENT IN VOLUME. FUELS AND CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS HAD DECREASES OF 11 PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.
+OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ FELL BY 11 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 12 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. CONSUMER DURABLES DROPPED BY 17 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 18 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME.
IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS, RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS INCREASED MODERATELY WHILE THOSE OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES RECORDED MODERATE DECREASES. A SUBSTANTIAL DECLINE IN SALES VALUE AND VOLUME WAS REGISTERED BY DEPARTMENT STORES.
TABLE 1 PRESENTS THE REVISED TOTAL SALES FIGURE FOR JANUARY 1986 AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURE FOR FEBRUARY 1986.
TABLE 2 SHOWS THE VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES OF RETAIL SALES BY 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 FEBRUARY 1986 RESULTS WITH THOSE OF JANUARY 1986 AND FEBRUARY 1985 AND COMPARISONS OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES IN THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD DECEMBER 1985 - FEBRUARY 1986 WITH THOSE IN THE SAME PERIOD 12 MONTHS PREVIOUSLY ARE ALSO GIVEN. GRAPHS 1 AND 2 DEPICT THE INDEX MOVEMENTS OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES FROM JANUARY 1983 TO JANUARY 1986.
THE REPORT CONTAINING THE ANALYSIS OF THE FEBRUARY 1986 SURVEY RESULTS IS ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATION SALES CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, 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. NO.: 3-7216024).
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