XN000022-1982-10-19 — Page 4

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1982

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JULY SURVEY OF RETAIL SALES

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THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES FOR THE RETAIL TRADE SECTOR IN JULY 1982 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $4 141 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS PREPARED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

AT 122, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX FOR JULY 1982 INCREASED BY 2 POINTS OR 2 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH JUNE 1982 AND BY 3 POINTS OR 3 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH JULY 1981. THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX FOR JULY 1982 WAS 101, BEING 1 POINT OR 1 PER CENT HIGHER THAN THAT FOR JUNE 1982 AND 5 POINTS OR 5 PER CENT LOWER THAN THAT FOR JULY 1981.

COMPARED WITH JUNE 1982, THE RETAIL SALES VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES FOR MOST MAJOR TRADE GROUPS AND SELECTED TRADES REMAINED RELATIVELY STABLE. WHILE RETAIL SALES OF DEPARTMENT STORES AND SUPERMARKETS BOTH INCREASED BY 5 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS. THOSE OF CONSUMER DURABLES ROSE BY 4 PER CENT. THE CORRESPONDING INCREASES IN THESE TRADES IN VOLUME TERMS (NAMELY, DEPARTMENT STORES, SUPERMARKETS AND CONSUMER DURABLES) WERE 6 PER CENT, 2 PER CENT AND 4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES, ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASED BY 3 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND 4 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS AND THOSE OF FUELS DECREASED BY 2 PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

COMPARED WITH JULY 1981, THE RETAIL SALES OF FUELS AND SUPERMARKETS BOTH INCREASED BY 20 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND 11 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS AND THOSE OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS INCREASED BY 18 PER CENT AND 5 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, ON THE OTHER HAND, THE RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES REGISTERED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF 35 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND 48 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS. THE VOLUME OF RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES AND CONSUMER GOODS ALSO DECREASED BY 10 PER CENT AND 7 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

TABLES 1 AND 2 (ATTACHED) PRESENT THE REVISED FIGURES FOR JUNE AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES FOR JULY 1982 ON THE TOTAL RETAIL SALES. AND ON THE RETAIL SALES VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY BY SELECTED TRADES AND MAJOR TRADE GROUPS. RETAIL SALES IN 1980 ARE TAKEN AS 100. COMPARISONS OF THE JULY RESULTS WITH THOSE OF THE PRECEDING MONTH AND OF THE CORRESPONDING MONTH IN 1981 ARE ALSO GIVEN. 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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