Retail Trade - December 2012

Sales in retail trade for 2012 dropped by 1.1%

In December, sales in retail trade including the automotive segment after seasonal adjustment increased by 1.3% at constant prices, month-on-month, and working days adjusted dropped by 0.4%, y-o-y. Non-adjusted sales decreased by 5.1%, y-o-y, due to the lower number of working days; there were 3 working days less in December 2012 compared to December 2011.
For the entire year 2012, sales in retail trade including the automotive segment decreased at constant prices by 1.1%, y-o-y.

After seasonal adjustment sales in retail trade including sale and repair of motor vehicles increased by 1.3% at constant prices in December, m-o-m. Working days adjusted sales decreased by 0.4%, year-on-year. Non-adjusted sales decreased by 5.1%, y-o-y. The drop of sales was influenced by lower sale of assortments, which react sensitively on a different number of working days (December 2012 had 3 working days less than December 2011). The lower number of working days was reflected the most markedly in sale and repair of motor vehicles.

Seasonally adjusted sales for sale and repair of motor vehicles (CZ-NACE 45) increased by 1.5% at constant prices, m-o-m. In the year-on-year comparison, sales adjusted for working days decreased by 2.9%. Non-adjusted sales decreased by 11.1%, y-o-y, for the repair of motor vehicles by 12.3% and for sale of motor vehicles (including spare parts) by 10.8%.

In retail sale including sale of automotive fuel (CZ-NACE 47) seasonally adjusted sales at constant prices increased by 1.2%, m-o-m, and sales adjusted for working days by 0.5%, y-o-y. Non-adjusted sales decreased by 3.0%, y-o-y, for food by 3.3%, for non-food goods by 3.0%, and for automotive fuel by 1.8%.

Most of the measured assortment types of stores contributed to the drop, the most it was retail sale of other household equipment in specialised stores (drop by 7.5%) and food in non-specialised stores (drop by 2.7%). Sale of food in specialised stores also decreased (-10.7%) as well as sale of dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods, cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores (-6.0%) and cultural and recreation goods in specialised stores (-1.3%). After a relatively marked growth during the preceding two months, sale of information and communication equipment decreased by 1.5%. Sales were growing only in retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet (+6.9%) and sale of clothing and footwear in specialised stores (+6.6%).

The largest chain stores with food sale predominantly have not reached the sales of December 2011 at current prices, especially due to a substantial drop of sale of non-food goods.

The price deflator (CZ-NACE 47) related to the corresponding period of the previous year (VAT excluded) was 99.5%. In comparison with November 2012 it dropped by 0.6 p.p. Y-o-y increase of prices was recorded for food, automotive fuel, cosmetic and toilet articles, while at most of non-food goods cutting of prices continued, which was the most distinctive in the assortment of information and communication equipment.

Development in 2012

For the entire year 2012, sales in retail trade including the automotive segment (CZ-NACE 45+47) decreased at constant prices by 1.1%, y-o-y; there was a drop in both the automotive segment and the retail trade alone.

In the sale and repair of motor vehicles (CZ-NACE 45) sales decreased at constant prices by 2.3%, y-o-y; for repairs it was a drop by 3.5% and for sale of motor vehicles the decrease was by 2.1%. Sales for repair of motor vehicles remained during all quarters of 2012 under the level of the comparable period of 2011; sales for sale of motor vehicles grew only in the first quarter.

In retail sale including sale of automotive fuel (CZ-NACE 47) sales dropped by 0.5% at constant prices, y-o-y; a growth was recorded only in the first quarter, in August and October. A drop of food sale, which started in May 2011, continued also in 2012 (for the entire year by 2.5%). Sales for automotive fuel decreased for the entire year by 1.0%. Sale of non-food goods increased by 0.9%. The biggest growth was recorded by retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet (+8.2%). In specialised stores, the biggest growing were sales for information and communication equipment (+5.8%), clothing and footwear (+5.6%), cultural and recreation goods (+3.0%), and sale of dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods, cosmetic and toilet articles (+1.2%). On the contrary, retail sale of other household equipment in specialised stores was lower (-1.8%). The average price deflator for the year 2012 was 101.0% and it was influenced the most by prices of automotive fuel and food.

International comparison of retail sales development in the EU Member States is available at: ( http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/eurostat/home).

Attention:
Starting with the News Release for January 2013, the base for short-term statistics will change. Besides the change in the base period at fixed-base indices (that will be newly compared to the average of 2010 instead of the average of 2005) also the weighting scheme of the year 2010 will be used. In accordance with the methodology of Eurostat, a back-calculation to the year 2009 will be made on the new weights, which will entail a revision of base and y-o-y indices. Historical data before 2009 will be connected via conversion bridges and the y-o-y indices will thus remain unchanged.


Notes:
Data for December 2012 are preliminary; final data for all months of 2012 will be available in June 2013 at the latest.
Responsible head at the CZSO: Marie Boušková, phone number (+420) 274 052 935, e-mail: marie.bouskova@czso.cz
Contact person: Marcela Mašátová, phone number (+420) 274 052 681, e-mail: marcela.masatova@czso.cz
Method of data acquisition: direct survey of the CZSO (SP1-12)
End of data collection: 28 January 2013
End of data processing: 31 January 2013
Related outputs: Base and y-o-y indices from 2000 and 2001 are available in time series ( /csu/czso/sales_indices_monthly_retail_trade_hotels_and_restaurants_time_series )
Next News Release will be published on: 14 March 2013

Published: 05.02.2013
The data are valid as of the release date of the publication.