XN000022-1984-10-07 — Page 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1984

RETAIL SALES UP ****

THE ESTIMATED VALUE OF SALES FOR THE RETAIL TRADE SECTOR IN JULY 1984 WAS $5 693 MILLION, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

AT 168, THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VALUE INDEX INCREASED BY 10 POINTS OR SIX PER CENT OVER JUNE 1984, AND BY 29 POINTS OR 21 PER CENT OVER JULY 1983.

THE OVERALL RETAIL SALES VOLUME INDEX, AT 116, WAS UP SEVEN POINTS OR SEVEN PER CENT OVER JUNE 1984, AND UP 10 POINTS OR 10 PER CENT OVER JULY 1983.

COMPARED WITH JUNE 1984, RETAIL SALES OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS IN JULY INCREASED BY 11 PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS, THOSE OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS BY SIX PER CENT. CONSUMER DURABLES BY THREE PER CENT, AND FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO BY TWO PER CENT. IN VOLUME TERMS, THEIR CORRESPONDING INCREASES WERE 12 PER CENT, EIGHT PER CENT, TWO PER CENT AND THREE PER CENT.

ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL SALES OF FUELS REMAINED UNCHANGED IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

COMPARED WITH JULY 1983, RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES INCREASED BY 23 PER CENT IN VALUE OR 10 PER CENT IN VOLUME.

THOSE OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS ROSE BY 22 PER CENT IN VALUE OR 12 PER CENT IN VOLUME.

BOTH CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS AND FOODSTUFFS ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO RECORDED AN INCREASE OF 21 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE.

IN TERMS OF SALES VOLUME, CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS INCREASED BY NINE PER CENT AND FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO BY EIGHT PER CENT.

FUELS RECORDED THE LOWEST INCREASE IN RETAIL SALES -- SIX PER CENT IN VALUE TERMS AND ONE PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS OVER JUNE 1984.

RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKET GOODS, CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES AND DEPARTMENT STORE GOODS, HOWEVER, ONLY RECORDED SLIGHT INCREASES.

COMPARED WITH JULY 1983, RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKET GOODS AND MOTOR VEHICLES ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS, WHILE THOSE OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES AND DEPARTMENT STORE GOODS RECORDED RELATIVELY MODERATE INCREASES IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

/TABLE 1