XN000022-1996-02-26 — Page 5

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Meanwhile, sales in supermarkets showed an increase of 8% in value and virtually no change in volume. Sales in department stores also recorded an increase of 4% in value, despite a decrease of 4% in volume.

Furthermore, sales of fuels and food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco increased by 5% and 4% in value respectively. In volume terms, they decreased both by 2%.

On the other hand, increases were still recorded for sales of miscellaneous consumer goods (14% in value and 9% in volume); clothing and footwear (14% in value and 4% in volume); as well as jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts (6% in value and 4% in volume).

The volume of retail sales is derived from the value of retail sales after adjusting for price changes. The relevant components of the Consumer Price Index are used as deflators.

Table 1 presents the revised total retail sales figure for November 1995 and the provisional figure for December 1995.

Table 2 shows the value and volume indices of retail sales in December 1994, November and December 1995 for all retail outlets and by type of retail outlet, with average retail sales from October 1989 to September 1990 taken as 100. Comparisons of the December 1995 results with those for November 1995 and those for December 1994, as well as comparisons of retail sales in the period from January to December 1995 with the same period in 1994 are also given.

The report containing the analysis of the December 1995 results is now on sale at $4 per copy at the Government Publications Centre, Queensway Government Offices, ground floor, Low Block, 66 Queensway; and the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19th floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai.

Enquiries about the survey results may be directed to the Wholesale and Retail Trade Statistics Section of the Census and Statistics Department, Tel 2802 1258.