XN000022-1985-05-31 — Page 17

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1985

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RETAIL SALES SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED

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THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES IN MARCH 1985, ESTIMATED AT $5 569 MILLION, WAS FOUR PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN MARCH 1984, WHILE THE IR VOLUME WAS TWO PER CENT HIGHER, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

RETAIL SALES FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1985 ROSE BY NINE PER CENT IN VALUE AND EIGHT PER CENT IN VOLUME WHEN COMPARED WITH THE SAME QUARTER IN 1984.

COMPARING MARCH 1985 WITH FEBRUARY 1985, AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON IS AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, RETAIL SALES DECREASED BY FIVE PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

IN MARCH 1985, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS ROSE BY 10 PER CENT IN VALUE AND ONE PER CENT IN VOLUME WHEN COMPARED WITH MARCH 1984. FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO SHOWED INCREASES OF SEVEN PER CENT IN VALUE AND SIX PER CENT IN VOLUME. THOSE OF CONSUMER DURABLES INCREASED BY FIVE PER CENT IN VALUE AND ONE PER CENT IN VOLUME. FUELS RECORDED AN INCREASE OF TWO PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME. +OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ INCREASED BY ONE PER CENT IN VALUE AND TWO PER CENT IN VOLUME.

COMPARING THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1985 WITH THE SAME QUARTER IN 1984, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS INCREASED BY 18 PER CENT IN VALUE AND EIGHT PER CENT IN VOLUME. THOSE OF CONSUMER DURABLES ROSE BY 14 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 10 PER CENT IN VOLUME.

+OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ AND FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO INCREASED BY NINE PER CENT AND THREE PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN SALES VALUE AND VOLUME. FUELS REGISTERED THE SMALLEST INCREASE OF ONE PER CENT IN VALUE AND TWO PER CENT IN VOLUME.

COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1985, RETAIL SALES OF FUELS ROSE BY 16 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 14 PER CENT IN VOLUME. CONSUMER DURABLES ALSO INCREASED, BY TWO PER CENT IN VALUE AND THREE PER CENT IN VOLUME. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS DROPPED BY 21 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 23 PER CENT IN VOLUME.

FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO ALSO DECREASED, BY SEVEN PER CENT IN VALUE AND EIGHT PER CENT IN VOLUME, WHILE THOSE OF +OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ FELL BY FOUR PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.

/ANALYSED BY