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MONDAY, APRIL 1, 1985

WHEN COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1984, RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES IN JANUARY 1985 ROSE BY EIGHT PER CENT IN VALUE AND SEVEN PER CENT IN VOLUME, WHILE THOSE OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO ROSE BY ONE PER CENT IN VALUE AND TWO PER CENT IN VOLUME. HOWEVER, RETAIL SALES OF +OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ RECORDED DECREASES OF 11 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 10 PER CENT IN VOLUME. CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS ALSO DECREASED, BY

FUELS SIX PER CENT IN VALUE AND FOUR PER CENT IN VOLUME. REGISTERED A DECREASE OF ONE PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.

ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1984. CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES SHOWED MODERATE INCREASES. SUPERMARKETS AND DEPARTMENT STORES, HOWEVER, RECORDED DECREASES IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

COMPARING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD NOVEMBER 1984 - JANUARY 1985 WITH THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR AGO, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS, WHILE CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES, SUPERMARKETS AND DEPARTMENT STORES RECORDED MODERATE INCREASES, WHEN COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1984, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES ROSE SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. THOSE OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES ROSE MODERATELY. HOWEVER, RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS AND DEPARTMENT STORES DROPPED CONSIDERABLY.

TABLE 1 PRESENTS THE REVISED TOTAL SALES FIGURE FOR DECEMBER

1984 AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURE FOR JANUARY 1985.

TABLE 2 SHOWS THE VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES OF RETAIL SALES BY MAJOR TRADE GROUPS AND SELECTED TRADES (WHICH FORM PART OF THE RELEVANT MAJOR TRADE GROUPS). WITH AVERAGE MONTHLY RETAIL SALES IN 1980 TAKEN AS 100. COMPARISONS OF JANUARY 1985 RESULTS WITH THOSE OF DECEMBER 1984 AND JANUARY 1984 AND COMPARISONS OF RETAIL SALES IN THE PERIOD NOVEMBER 1984 - JANUARY 1985 WITH THOSE IN THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR AGO ARE ALSO GIVEN.

GRAPHS 1 AND 2 DEPICT THE INDEX MOVEMENTS OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES FROM JANUARY 1982 TO DECEMBER 1984. TABLES AND GRAPHS ARE BEING SENT BY FACSIMILE AND WILL BE BOXED FOR COLLECTION.

THE REPORT CONTAINING THE ANALYSIS OF THE JANUARY 1985 SURVEY RESULTS IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE, CONNAUGHT PLACE, AT $1 PER COPY.

ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT (TEL. NO. 3-7216024).

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