Retail turnover increase nearly 3 percent

Retail turnover in August was nearly 3 percent up on one year previously. Turnover volume grew by nearly 2 percent. With more than 0.5 percent, price rises were moderate.

August’s turnover increase was below the average over the first seven months of this year. In this period, sales were more than 4 percent higher than one year previously. In 2006, turnover increased by more than 5 percent.

In August, turnover in the food sector grew by nearly 7 percent. With an increase of more than 7 percent, supermarkets in particular achieved good results. Shops specialised in food, drinks and tobacco realised a 3 percent higher turnover. In 2007, August had more shopping days than last year. If the positive effect of more shopping days is not taken into account, turnover growth in the food sector is estimated at 4 percent.

Turnover in the non-food sector hardly varied in August compared to August 2006. Textile supermarkets and clothes shops faced turnover losses, whereas in July turnover in the non-food sector was nearly 7 percent higher than in July last year. Home furnishing shops, consumer electronics and clothes shops in particular realised much better turnover results in July.

Retail turnover is an important indicator for “household consumption”. For the relation between these two concepts, see the focus article Short-term statistics on retail trade and consumption by households.

Retail turnover