XN000022-1982-11-12 — Page 7

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1982

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COMPARED WITH JULY, THE RETAIL SALES FOR MOST MAJOR TRADE GROUPS AND SELECTED TRADES INCREASED IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

RETAIL SALES OF DEPARTMENT STORES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY 19 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS (OR 18 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS), THOSE OF CONSUMER GOODS INCREASED BY NINE PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS (ALSO NINE PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS), AND THOSE OF MOTOR VEHICLES INCREASED BY FIVE PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS (OR FOUR PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS).

ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS DECREASED BY SIX PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS (OR THREE PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS) AND THOSE OF CONSUMER DURABLES DECREASED BY TWO PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS (ALSO TWO PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS).

COMPARED WITH AUGUST 1981, RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS INCREASED BY 23 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS, WHILE THOSE OF FUELS BY 15 PER CENT AND OF CONSUMER GOODS BY 11 PER CENT. THE IR RESPECTIVE INCREASES IN VOLUME TERMS WERE 16 PER CENT, SEVEN PER CENT AND FOUR PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES, ON THE OTHER HAND, REGISTERED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF 44 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND 55 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS. THE VOLUME OF RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES, CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS, AND DEPARTMENT STORES ALSO DECREASED BY 17 PER CENT, SIX PER CENT AND TWO PER CENT RESPECTIVELY..

ATTACHED TABLES 1 AND 2 PRESENT THE REVISED FIGURES FOR JULY AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES FOR AUGUST ON THE TOTAL RETAIL SALES, AND ON THE RETAIL SALES VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES BY SELECTED TRADES AND MAJOR TRADE GROUPS. THE AVERAGE MONTHLY RETAIL SALES IN 1980 ARE TAKEN AS 100,

COMPARISONS OF THE AUGUST 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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