XN000022-1986-01-31 — Page 8

7

FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1986

+OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ ROSE BY ONE PER CENT IN SALES VALUE BUT FELL BY ONE PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. RETAIL SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES, DEPARTMENT STORES AND SUPERMARKETS INCREASED MODERATELY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS. CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES HAD SLIGHT INCREASES IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME.

WHEN COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1985, AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON IS AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, TOTAL RETAIL SALES FOR NOVEMBER 1985 INCREASED BY THREE PER CENT IN VALUE AND TWO PER CENT IN VOLUME. RETAIL SALES OF +OTHER CONSUMER GOODS+ RECORDED INCREASES OF SIX PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS ROSE BY FIVE PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND THREE PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. CONSUMER DURABLES HAD A SLIGHT INCREASE OF ONE PER CENT IN SALES VALUE BUT NO CHANGE IN SALES VOLUME. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL SALES OF FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO FELL BY ONE PER CENT IN VALUE WHILE ITS VOLUME REMAINED UNCHANGED.

FUELS DROPPED BY THREE PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME. RETAIL SALES OF DEPARTMENT STORES INCREASED MODERATELY AND THOSE OF CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES INCREASED SLIGHTLY, IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND VOLUME. ON THE OTHER HAND, RETAIL SALES OF SUPERMARKETS AND MOTOR VEHICLES DROPPED SLIGHTLY IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME TERMS.

TWO TABLES AND TWO GRAPHS RELATING TO THE FIGURES ARE BEING SENT BY FACSIMILE AND WILL BE BOXED FOR COLLECTION.

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

THE REPORT CONTAINING THE ANALYSIS OF THE NOVEMBER 1985 SURVEY RESULTS IN 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).

Table 1: