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THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1988
ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, SALES BY DEPARTMENT STORES WENT UP BY 54 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 41 PER CENT IN VOLUME, WHILE THE CORRESPONDING INCREASES FOR SUPERMARKETS WERE 15 PER CENT AND 8 PER
CENT.
MOTOR VEHICLES AND PARTS HAD INCREASES OF 44 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 31 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES AND PARTS INCREASED BY 20 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 13 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME.
WHEN COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1988, AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON IS AFFECTED BY THE HIGH LEVEL OF CONSUMER EXPENDITURE DURING THE LUNAR NEW YEAR PERIOD IN FEBRUARY, TOTAL RETAIL SALES FOR MARCH 1988 DECREASED BY 7 PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.
FUELS DROPPED BY 2 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 3 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO WENT DOWN BY 11 PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.
ON THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, RETAIL SALES OF "OTHER CONSUMER GOODS" FELL BY 1 PER CENT IN VALUB AND 2 PER CENT IN VOLUME. CONSUMER DURABLES RECORDED DECREASES OF 4 PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.
CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS DROPPED BY 26 PER CENT
IN SALES VALUE AND 27 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME.
ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES AND PARTS INCREASED BY 1 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND REMAINED ALMOST UNCHANGED IN SALES VOLUME.
MOTOR VEHICLES AND PARTS WENT DOWN BY 14 PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.
SALES BY DEPARTMENT STORES AND SUPERMARKETS DECREASED BY 14 PER CENT AND 19 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN VALUE AND 16 PER CENT AND 21 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN VOLUME.
TABLE 1 PRESENTS THE REVISED TOTAL RETAIL SALES FIGURE FOR FEBRUARY 1988 AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURE FOR MARCH 1988.
TABLE 2 SHOWS THE VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES OF RETAIL SALES IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH 1988 (A) FOR ALL RETAIL TRADES, (B) BY MAJOR TRADE GROUPS AND (C) BY SELECTED TRADES (WHICH FORM PART OF THE RELEVANT MAJOR TRADE GROUPS), WITH AVERAGE RETAIL SALES FROM OCTOBER 1984 TO SPETEMBER 1985 TAKEN AS 100.
COMPARISONS OF MARCH 1988 RESULTS WITH THOSE FOR FEBRUARY 1988 AND WITH THOSE FOR MARCH 1987 AND COMPARISONS OF RETAIL SALES IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1988 WITH THE SAME QUARTER OF 1987 ARE ALSO GIVEN.
/GRAPHS 1