XN000022-1986-01-04 — Page 5

SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1986

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WHEN COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER 1985, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS RECORDED INCREASES OF 20 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 18 PER CENT IN VOLUME. +OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ INCREASED BY NINE PER CENT AND FUELS BY TWO PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES FELL BY ONE PER CENT IN VALUE WHILE THE IR VOLUME REMAINED UNCHANGED. FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO DROPPED BY 11 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND EIGHT PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME.

ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS, DEPARTMENT STORES AND MOTOR VEHICLES ROSE MODERATELY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS WHEN COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1984. CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES RECORDED SLIGHT INCREASES IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.

COMPARING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD AUGUST-OCTOBER 1985 WITH THE SAME PER 10D IN 1984, RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. MODERATE INCREASES, IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME, WERE RECORDED FOR RETAIL SALES OF DEPARTMENT STORES AND SUPERMARKETS. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES RÉCORDED SLIGHT DECREASES.

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WHEN COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER 1985, RETAIL SALES OF DEPARTMENT STORES INCREASED CONSIDERABLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES RECORDED SLIGHT INCREASES. RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS AND MOTOR VEHICLES, HOWEVER, DROPPED MODERATELY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

TABLE 1 PRESENTS THE REVISED TOTAL SALES FIGURE FOR SEPTEMBER 1985 AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURE FOR OCTOBER 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 OCTOBER 1985 RESULTS WITH THOSE OF SEPTEMBER 1985 AND OCTOBER 1984 AND COMPARISONS OF RETAIL SALES IN THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD AUGUST-OCTOBER 1985 WITH THOSE IN THE SAME PERIOD IN 1984 ARE ALSO GIVEN.

GRAPHS 1 AND 2 DEPICT THE INDEX MOVEMENTS OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES FROM JANUARY 1983 TO SEPTEMBER 1985.

THE REPORT CONTAINING THE ANALYSIS OF THE OCTOBER 1985 SURVEY RESULTS IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATION 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).