XN000022-1990-07-01 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, JULY 1, 1990

IN

COMPARED WITH MARCH

1990,

AND BEARING

MIND THAT THIS COMPARISON MAY BE AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, TOTAL RETAIL SALES FOR APRIL 1990 DECREASED BY 5 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 7 PER CENT IN VOLUME. FUELS WENT DOWN BY 2 PER CENT IN SALES VALUE AND 3 PER CENT IN SALES VOLUME. FOODSTUFFS, ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND TOBACCO DROPPED BY 9 PER CENT IN BOTH SALES VALUE AND SALES VOLUME.

ON THE SAME BASIS OF COMPARISON, RETAIL SALES OF CLOTHING, FOOTWEAR AND ALLIED PRODUCTS WENT UP BY 5 PER CENT IN VALUE BUT REMAINED ALMOST UNCHANGED IN VOLUME, WHILE THOSE FOR CONSUMER DURABLES DROPPED BY 9 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 10 PER CENT IN VOLUME.

SALES OF OTHER CONSUMER GOODS DECREASED BY 5 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 6 PER CENT IN VOLUME.

ANALYSED BY SELECTED TRADES, DEPARTMENT STORES SALES REMAINED ALMOST UNCHANGED IN VALUE BUT DROPPED BY 3 PER CENT IN VOLUME. SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND PARTS DECREASED BY 7 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 9 PER CENT IN VOLUME. SUPERMARKET SALES WENT DOWN BY 8 PER CENT IN VALUE AND 9 PER CENT IN VOLUME, WHILE CONSUMER DURABLES OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLES AND PARTS RECORDED A DECREASE OF 10 PER CENT IN BOTH VALUE AND VOLUME.

SALES

THE ACCOMPANYING TABLE 1 PRESENTS THE REVISED TOTAL RETAIL SALES FIGURE FOR MARCH 1990 AND THE PROVISIONAL FIGURE FOR APRIL 1990.

IN

TABLE 2 SHOWS THE VALUE AND VOLUME INDEXES OF RETAIL SALES MARCH 1990 AND APRIL 1990 (A) FOR ALL RETAIL TRADES, (B) BY MAJOR TRADE GROUPS AND (C) BY SELECTED TRADES (WHICH FORM PART OF THE RELEVANT MAJOR TRADE GROUPS), WITH AVERAGE RETAIL SALES FROM OCTOBER 1984 TO SEPTEMBER 1985 TAKEN AS 100.

WITH PERIOD GIVEN.

COMPARISONS OF APRIL 1990 RESULTS WITH THOSE FOR MARCH 1990 AND THOSE FOR APRIL 1989, AND COMPARISONS OF RETAIL SALES IN THE JANUARY TO APRIL 1990 WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1989, ARE ALSO

THE REPORT CONTAINING THE ANALYSIS OF APRIL 1990 SURVEY RESULTS IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GPO BUILDING, CONNAUGHT PLACE, CENTRAL, AT $1 PER COPY.

ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS MAY BE DIRECTED TO WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE STATISTICS SECTION OF THE STATISTICS DEPARTMENT (TEL. 556 5240).

THE

CENSUS

AND

NOTE TO EDITORS:

TABLES 1 AND 2 WILL BE SENT BY FACSIMILE.

/TABLE 1