Retail trade - February 2021

Year-on-year decrease was influenced by the pandemic and also by last year's longer February

07.04.2021
Code: 120019-21
 

In February, sales adjusted for calendar effects decreased by 3.0% in real terms (at constant prices), year‑on‑year (y-o-y). Non-adjusted sales decreased by 5.8%, y-o-y. Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade increased by 2.8%, month-on-month (m-o-m).

Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade, except of motor vehicles1) increased in real terms (at constant prices) by 2.8%, m-o-m, in February. Sales for sale of non-food goods increased by 4.0%, sales for sale of food increased by 1.9%, and sales for sale of automotive fuel increased by 1.3%.  

Sales in retail trade adjusted for calendar effects decreased by 3.0%, y-o-y. Sales for sale of non-food goods decreased by 4.6% and sales for sale of automotive fuel dropped by 7.5%, whereas sales for sale of food increased by 0.4%. February 2021 had one calendar day less than February 2020; the number of working days was the same.  

Non-adjusted sales in retail trade decreased by 5.8%, y-o-y. Sales for sale of food decreased by 3.2%, sales for sale of non-food goods decreased by 6.6%, and sales for sale of automotive fuel dropped by 11.3%.

Retail sale was influenced by restrictions on sale or complete closures of stores with some assortments of non-food goods due to measures against the spread of coronavirus. Consumers were purchasing more via mail order houses or via Internet2) that reported growth of sales by 41.7%. Conversely, retailers in brick-and-mortar shops reported decrease of sales. In retail sale of clothing, footwear and leather goods in specialised stores sales decreased by 69.0%, in retail sale of cultural and recreation goods in specialised stores they dropped by 36.5%, in retail sale of other household equipment in specialised stores they were 15.5% down, in retail sale of information and communication equipment in specialised stores they dropped by 9.1%, in retail sale of cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores sales decreased by 6.4%, and in dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods in specialised stores they decreased by 2.1%. In retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores sales dropped by 12.3% and in retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating sales decreased by 2.6%.

The price deflator in retail trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles related to the corresponding period of the previous year (VAT excluded) was 99.9%. It was mainly influenced by lower prices of automotive fuel, information and communication equipment, cosmetic and toilet articles. Conversely, prices of dispensing chemist, medical and orthopaedic goods, cultural and recreation goods, clothing, footwear and leather goods, other household equipment, and food increased.

Seasonally adjusted sales for sale and repair of motor vehicles3) decreased in real terms (at constant prices) by 1.3%, m-o-m, and sales adjusted for calendar effects decreased by 1.5%, y-o-y. Non-adjusted sales decreased by 2.9%, y-o-y; sales for sale of motor vehicles (including spare parts) decreased by 2.4%, y‑o-y, and sales for repair of motor vehicles decreased by 4.9%, y‑o‑y.

International comparison of retail sales development in Member States of the EU is available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/short-term-business-statistics/publications.

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Notes:
All data in the text of the News Release are at constant prices.
Enterprises are classified to the economic activity according to their principal (prevailing) activity, which is such an activity, from which the enterprise gets the highest value added.
Data for January 2021 have been revised in accordance with the CZSO revision policy. Data for February 2021 are preliminary. Final data for all months of 2021 will be published in March 2022.
We point out that since the way estimates for non-surveyed part of the sample are made has changed, previously released data may be revised more.
1) CZ-NACE 47 – retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles.
2) CZ-NACE 4791 – retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet. 
3) CZ-NACE 45 – wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.

Responsible head at the CZSO: Marie Boušková, Director of the Trade, Transport, Services, Tourism, and Environmental Statistics Department, phone number: (+420) 274 052 935, e-mail: marie.bouskova@czso.cz
Contact person: Jana Gotvaldová, Head of the Trade, Transport, and Services Statistics Unit, phone number: (+420) 274 052 691 e-mail: jana.gotvaldova@czso.cz
Method of data acquisition: direct survey of the CZSO (“SP 1–12”)
End of data collection: 26 March 2021
End of data processing: 31 March 2021
Related outputs: Base indices and y-o-y indices since 2000 and 2001, respectively, are available in time series (https://www.czso.cz/csu/czso/sales_indices_monthly_retail_trade_hotels_and_restaurants_time_series).
Next News Release will be published on: 6 May 2021

 

  •      amal040721.docx
  • Annexes:
  • Table 1 Retail trade and sale and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (year-on-year indices, non adjusted data)
  • Table 2 Sales in main assortment types of stores (year-on-year changes, decomposition of increase – year-on-year)
  • Table 3 Retail trade and sale1 and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (year-on-year indices, adjusted for calendar effects)
  • Chart 1 Sales in retail trade except of motor vehicles and motorcycles – base indices, constant prices
  • Chart 2 Sales in retail trade except of motor vehicles and motorcycles – international comparison, seasonally adjusted, constant prices
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Published: 07.04.2021
The data are valid as of the release date of the publication.


Contact: Information Services Unit - Headquarters, tel.: +420 274 056 789, email: infoservis@czso.cz