XN000022-1988-01-05 — Page 4

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1988

3

OCTOBER RETAIL SALES SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED

*

THE VALUE OF TOTAL RETAIL SALES IN OCTOBER 1987, ESTIMATED AT $7,501 MILLION, WAS 19 PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN OCTOBER 1986 WHILST THEIR VOLUME WAS 12 PER CENT HIGHER, ACCORDING ΤΟ THE PROVISIONAL RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THIS SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN RETAIL SALES WAS IN LINE WITH THE BUOYANT ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN THE FIRST 10 MONTHS OF THIS YEAR.

THE POSSIBLE EFFECT OF THE UPHEAVALS IN THE STOCK MARKET IN OCTOBER MAY NOT SHOW UP SO QUICKLY IN THESE SALES FIGURES.

ANALYSED BY MAJOR

TRADE GROUPS, RETAIL SALES OF FUELS INCREASED BY 12 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 4 PER CENT IN VOLUME IN OCTOBER 1987 COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1986. FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO ROSE BY 10 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 2

CENT IN SALES

VOLUME.

PER

ON THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, RETAIL SALES OF "OTHER PER CONSUMER GOODS" ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY BY 29 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 22 CENT IN VOLUME. "CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS" AND CONSUMER SALES DURABLES WENT UP BY 15 PER CENT AND 12 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN VALUE AND 10 PER CENT AND 5 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN SALES VOLUME.

ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, WHICH FORM PART OF THE RELEVANT MAJOR TRADE GROUPS, SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND PARTS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY BY 44 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 34 PER CENT IN VOLUME.

DEPARTMENT STORES ALSO ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY BY 38 PER CENT IN

PER SALES VALUE AND 31

CENT IN SALES VOLUME. SUPERMARKETS SALES INCREASED BY 23 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 17 PER CENT IN VOLUME.

PARTS

HOWEVER, CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES AND

5 PER CENT IN HAD A NEGLIGIBLE CHANGE IN SALES VALUE AND A DROP OF SALES VOLUME.

THE WITH

SAME IN VALUE

OCTOBER 1987 COMPARING THE PERIOD JANUARY TO PERIOD IN 1986, TOTAL RETAIL SALES INCREASED BY 16 PER CENT AND 10 PER CENT IN VOLUME.

IN

ANALYSED BY MAJOR TRADE GROUPS, FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND AND TOBACCO INCREASED MODERATELY BY 10 PER CENT

SALES VALUE 5 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. FUELS WENT UP BY 3 PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME.

ON THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, RETAIL CONSUMER GOODS" AND CONSUMER DURABLES INCREASED BY 19 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN VALUE AND 13 PER RESPECTIVELY IN VOLUME.

CENT

SALES

SALES 21 PER AND 10

OF

"OTHER CENT AND

PER

CENT

CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS WENT UP BY 16 IN SALES VALUE AND 10 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME.

PER

CENT

/ANALYSED BY