XN000022-1984-05-25 — Page 14

FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1984

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LUNAR FESTIVAL BRINGS DOWN RETAIL SALES

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RETAIL TRADE SALES IN FEBRUARY 1984 WERE ESTIMATED TO BE $4 604 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

AT 136, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX DECREASED BY 39 POINTS OR 22 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1984 SALES, BUT INCREASED BY 11 POINTS OR 9 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1983.

THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX, AT 95, WAS 29 POINTS OR 23 PER CENT LOWER THAN THAT FOR JANUARY 1984, AND 3 POINTS OR 3 PER CENT LOWER THAN THAT FOR FEBRUARY 1983.

THE SIGNIFICANT DROP IN BOTH THE VALUE AND THE VOLUME OF RETAIL SALES IN FEBRUARY 1984 AS COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS MONTH WAS LARGELY DUE TO THE EFFECT OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR.

COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1984 SALES, THE RETAIL SALES VALUE OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS DECREASED BY 29 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS OR 30 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS WHILE THOSE OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO DROPPED BY 23 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS OR 25 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

OTHER CONSUMER GOODS DECREASED BY 23 PER CENT IN BOTH THE VALUE AND VOLUME OF SALES. RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES WENT DOWN BY 21 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS OR 22 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS AND FUELS BY 13 PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1983 SALES, FUELS RECORDED THE LARGEST INCREASE IN SALES VALUE, AT 14 PER CENT, BUT ONLY A SLIGHT RISE OF 2 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES ROSE BY 11 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS BUT DROPPED BY 4 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS. BOTH CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS AND OTHER CONSUMER GOODS INCREASED BY 9 PER CENT EACH IN SALES VALUE, BUT THEY DECREASED BY 3 PER CENT AND 1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN SALES VOLUME. FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO INCREASED BY 3 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS BUT DROPPED BY 9 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, RETAIL SALES OF DEPARTMENT STORES DECREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1984 SALES. RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES. MOTOR VEHICLES AND SUPERMARKETS RECORDED DECREASES BUT TO A LESSER EXTENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND SALES VOLUME. WHEN COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1983 FIGURES, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME

· TERMS. BOTH SUPERMARKETS AND CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES RECORDED INCREASES IN SALES VALUE BUT DECREASES IN SALES VOLUME. RETAIL SALES OF DEPARTMENT STORES, HOWEVER, DECLINED IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

/THE REVISED