XN000022-1984-05-01 — Page 4

TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1984

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MONTHLY SURVEY OF RETAIL SALES FOR JANUARY

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THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES FOR THE RETAIL TRADE SECTOR IN JANUARY 1984 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $5 895 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

AT 174, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX INCREASED BY 13 POINTS OR 8 PER CENT OVER DECEMBER 1983, AND BY 37 POINTS OR 27 PER CENT OVER JANUARY 1983.

THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX, AT 123, WAS 9 POINTS OR 8 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN DECEMBER 1983, AND 13 POINTS OR 12 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN JANUARY 1983.

COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1983, RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO INCREASED BY 25 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND 23 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS, AND THOSE OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS BY 20 PER CENT AND 22 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES ROSE BY 8 PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. THOSE OF FUELS AND OTHER CONSUMER GOODS, HOWEVER, DROPPED BY 2 PER CENT AND 1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1983, RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS ROSE BY 34 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS, OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS BY 30 PER CENT, OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS BY 25 PER CENT, OF CONSUMER DURABLES BY 23 PER CENT AND OF FUELS BY 17 PER CENT.

CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS RECORDED THE LARGEST INCREASE IN SÁLES VOLUME (18 PER CENT), FOLLOWED BY FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO (15 PER CENT), OTHER CONSUMER GOODS (12 PER CENT) AND CONSUMER DURABLES (8 PER CENT).

ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, RETAIL SALES OF DEPARTMENT STORES AND MOTOR VEHICLES INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS OVER DECEMBER 1983.

SALES.

SUPERMARKETS ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN RETAIL

CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES, HOWEVER, RECORDED ONLY SLIGHT INCREASES,

WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1983, RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS AND DEPARTMENT STORES ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

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