Retail sector reports lower turnover

May 2016 had a Friday and Saturday less and a Monday and Tuesday more than May 2015. Traditionally, retail shops achieve good turnover results on Fridays and Saturdays. On Mondays and Tuesdays turnover results tend to be relatively poor. Adjusted for the shopping-day pattern, retail turnover would have been higher than in May last year.

Turnover food sector falls by more than 1 percent

Turnover generated by food, beverages and tobacco shops was 1.2 percent below the level of twelve months previously. On average, prices of daily shopping items were 1.4 percent higher, sales slumped 2.6 percent. Specialist shops realised about the same turnover results as in May 2015, while supermarkets faced a 1.4 percent loss.

Turnover non-food sector declines by nearly 1 percent

Non-food turnover was 0.9 percent down from May last year. The average price level for non-food products was 0.9 percent higher, sales declined by 8 percent, but clothing shops boasted considerable turnover growth.

Year-on-year, home furnishing shops and DIY shops have seen turnover grow for several months in a row. This development continued in May, although household appliances shops and consumer electronics shops performed less well compared to May 2015.

Robust turnover growth for e-tailers

E-tailers saw turnover soar by 26.5 percent in May, versus a 14 percent year-on-year growth in April. Pure internet retailers and multi-channelers (retailers selling goods and services over the internet and in the traditional manner) realised more or less the same online turnover growth.