XN000022-1984-06-28 — Page 7

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 194

RETAIL SALES VALUE UP ****

THE VALUE OF SALES FOR THE RETAIL TRADE SECTOR IN APRIL 1984 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE $5 402 MILLION, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

AT 159, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX INCREASED BY TWO POINTS, OR ONE PER CENT, OVER MARCH 1984, AND BY 27 POINTS, OR 20 PER CENT, OVER APRIL 1983.

THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX, HOWEVER, REMAINED UNCHANGED AT 111 WHEN COMPARED WITH MARCH 1984, BUT ROSE BY NINE POINTS, OR NINE PER CENT, OVER APRIL 1983.

COMPARED WITH MARCH 1984, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS RECORDED THE LARGEST INCREASE IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS, AT SIX PER CENT AND THREE PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES ROSE BY FOUR PER CENT 1. VALUE TERMS OR BY TWO PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS, WHILE THOSE OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO INCREASED BY TWO PER CENT IN VALUE TÉRMS OR BY ONE PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL SALES OF FUELS DECREASED BY ONE PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS OR BY TWO PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS. THOSE OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS ALSO WENT DOWN BY TWO PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

COMPARED WITH APRIL 1983, BOTH CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS, AND CONSUMER DURABLES RECORDED THE LARGEST INCREASES IN SALES VALUE, EACH AT 30 PER CENT.

IN TERMS OF SALES VOLUME, CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS ROSE BY 16 PER CENT AND CONSUMER DURABLES BY 11 PER CENT.

RETAIL SALES OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS INCREASED BY 19 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS OR BY EIGHT PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

THOSE OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO ROSE BY 16 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS OR BY SEVEN PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

FUELS SHOWED AN INCREASE OF EIGHT PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS BUT A DECLINE OF ONE PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS OVER MARCH 1984, WHILE SALES AT SUPERMARKETS AND DEPARTMENT STORES RECORDED SLIGHT INCREASES.

RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES, HOWEVER, DROPPED SLIGHTLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

/WHEN COMPAT D