THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1994
16
PROVISIONAL RESULTS OF RETAIL SALES
SURVEY FOR APRIL RELEASED
* * * *
THE VALUE OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES IN APRIL 1994, ESTIMATED AT $15.2 BILLION, INCREASED BY 15% WHEN COMPARED WITH APRIL 1993, ACCORDING TO THE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
AFTER DISCOUNTING THE EFFECT OF PRICE CHANGES OVER THE TOTAL RETAIL SALES ROSE BY 8% IN VOLUME TERMS.
PERIOD,
THE APPRECIABLE INCREASE IN APRIL 94 OVER APRIL 93 WAS MAINLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO A STRONG GROWTH IN SALES OF CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR (41% IN VALUE AND 29% IN VOLUME), AND SALES IN DEPARTMENT STORES VALUE AND 7% IN VOLUME).
( 15%
IN
SALES OF FUELS AND SALES IN SUPERMARKETS BOTH INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY 10% IN VALUE. IN VOLUME TERMS, THE INCREASES WERE 8% AND 3% RESPECTIVELY. SALES OF JEWELLERY AND WATCHES ALSO INCREASED BY 10% IN VALUE BUT RECORDED NO CHANGE IN VOLUME.
BY
MODERATE INCREASES WERE RECORDED FOR SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES, 9% IN VALUE AND 2% IN VOLUME; SALES OF OTHER FOODSTUFFS, BY 7% IN VALUE AND 4% IN VOLUME; SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLE GOODS OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES, BY 4% IN VALUE AND 2% IN VOLUME.
COMPARING THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY TO APRIL 1994 WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1993, TOTAL RETAIL SALES ROSE BY 17% IN VALUE AND 11% IN VOLUME.
COMPARED WITH MARCH 1994, AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS
· COMPARISON MAY BE AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, TOTAL RETAIL SALES IN APRIL 1994 DECREASED BY 4% IN VALUE AND 7% IN VOLUME.
THE VOLUME OF RETAIL SALES IS DERIVED FROM THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES AFTER ADJUSTING FOR PRICE CHANGES. THE RELEVANT COMPONENTS OF THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX ARE USED AS DEFLATORS.
TABLE 1 PRESENTS THE REVISED TOTAL RETAIL SALES FIGURE FOR MARCH 1994 AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURE FOR APRIL 1994.
TABLE 2 SHOWS THE VALUE AND VOLUME INDICES OF RETAIL SALES IN MARCH AND APRIL 1994 FOR ALL RETAIL OUTLETS AND BY TYPE OF RETAIL OUTLET, WITH AVERAGE RETAIL SALES FROM OCTOBER 1989 TO SEPTEMBER 1990 TAKEN AS 100.
COMPARISONS OF THE APRIL 1994 RESULTS WITH THOSE FOR MARCH 1994 AND THOSE FOR APRIL 1993, AS WELL AS COMPARISONS OF RETAIL SALES IN THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY TO APRIL OF 1994 WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1993 ARE ALSO GIVEN.
THE REPORT CONTAINING THE ANALYSIS OF THE APRIL 1994 RESULTS IS NOW ON SALE AT $3.00 PER COPY AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, CONNAUGHT PLACE, CENTRAL; AND THE PUBLICATIONS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, 19TH FLOOR, WANCHAI TOWER, WAN CHAI.
ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS MAY BE DIRECTED ΤΟ THE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS STATISTICS DEPARTMENT ON TEL 802 1258.
AND
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