XN000022-1984-06-10 — Page 4

SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 1984

3

MARCH RETAIL SALES RISE SHARPLY

****

RETAIL SALES IN MARCH AMOUNTED TO $5 359 MILLION, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED TODAY (SUNDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

AT 158, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX INCREASED BY 22 POINTS OR 17 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE FEBRUARY 1984 INDEX, AND BY 27 POINTS OR 21 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH MARCH 1983.

THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX, AT 111, WAS 16 POINTS OR 17 PER CENT HIGHER THAN THAT FOR FEBRUARY 1984, AND NINE POINTS OR NINE PER CENT HIGHER THAN THAT FOR MARCH 1983.

COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1984, RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES INCREASED BY 25 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND 27 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS, AND THOSE OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS BY 22 PER CENT AND 21 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

RETAIL SALES OF FUELS ROSE BY 15 PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. THOSE OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS INCREASED 10 PER CENT IN VALUE AND EIGHT PER CENT IN VOLUME.

FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO, HOWEVER, RECORDED THE LOWEST INCREASE IN RETAIL SALES OF SIX PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND SEVEN PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

COMPARED WITH MARCH 1983, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS RECORDED THE LARGEST INCREASE IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS, AT 29 PER CENT AND 15 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES ROSE BY 25 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND BY NINE PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS. THOSE OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS INCREASED BY 21 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND NINE PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO INCREASED BY 18 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND EIGHT PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS, WHILE THOSE OF FUELS ROSE BY NINE PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND ONE PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS WHEN COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1984, WHILE DEPARTMENT STORES SHOWED SMALLER INCREASES. RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS DROPPED SLIGHTLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS, BUT MOTOR VEHICLES RECORDED SUBSTANTIAL DECREASES IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

WHEN COMPARED WITH MARCH 1983, RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS, DEPARTMENT STORES AND CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES ALL ROSE SIGNIFICANTLY IN VALUE TERMS BUT ONLY MODERATELY IN VOLUME TERMS, MOTOR VEHICLES, HOWEVER, RECORDED DECREASES IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.

/THE REVISED