XN000022-1982-06-24 — Page 3

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 1982

MARCH RETAIL SALES VALUE

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THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES FOR THE ENTIRE RETAIL SECTOR IN MARCH 19×2 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $4 133 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS PROVIDED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

AT 122, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX FOR MARCH 1982 ROSE BY 12 POINTS OR 11 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH MARCH 1981 AND EY 18 POINTS OR 17 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1982.

THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX FOR MARCH 1982 STOOD AT 104, BEING THREE POINTS OR THREE PER CENT HIGHER THAN THAT FOR MARCH 1981 AND 16 POINTS OR 18 PER CENT HIGHER THAN THAT FOR FEBRUARY 1982.

ANALYSED BY MAJOR TRADE GROUPS AND SELECTED TRADES, THE RETAIL SALES VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES FOR MARCH 1982 SHOWED INCREASES OVER THOSE FOR FEBRUARY 1982.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WAS FOUND IN CONSUMER GOODS WHERE THE RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX ROSE BY 26 POINTS OR 27 PER CENT AND THE VOLUME INDEX BY 23 POINTS OR 27 PER CENT.

AS FOR THE OTHER SELECTED TRADES AND MAJOR TRADE GROUPS LIKE SUPERMARKETS, AND CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS, THEY ALSO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN VALUE TERMS BY 20 PER CENT AND 24 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

THE CORRESPONDING INCREASES FOR BOTH TRADES IN VOLUME TERMS WERE 21 PER CENT.

COMPARED WITH MARCH 1981, THE RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEXES FOR FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO, AND CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS IN MARCH 1982 WENT DOWN BY 11 POINTS OR 11 PER CENT AND SIX POINTS OR SIX PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, WHILE THOSE FOR THE OTHER MAJOR TRADE GROUPS AND SELECTED TRADES SHOWED INCREASES. THE RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX FOR FUELS REGISTERED THE HIGHEST INCREASE OF 15 POINTS OR 14 PER CENT, FOLLOWED BY SUPERMARKETS, 11 POINTS OR 10 PER CENT, AND CONSUMER DURABLES, 10 POINTS OR 10 PER CENT.

TABLES 1 AND 2 (BEING TRANSMITTED TO YOU BY FACSIMILE NETWORK AND BOXED SEPARATELY) PRESENT THE REVISED AND PROVISIONAL FIGURES OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES, AND THE RETAIL SALES VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES BY SELECTED TRADES AND MAJOR TRADE GROUPS IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH 1982, WITH THE AVERAGE MONTHLY RETAIL SALES IN 1980 TAKEN AS 100.

A COMPARISON OF THE MARCH RESULTS WITH THOSE OF THE PRECEDING MONTH AND OF THE CORRESPONDING MONTH IN 1981 IS ALSO SHOWN.