Monthly survey on retail trade 2021Jan
Published on 16 February 2021
In January, turnover in retail trade was almost stable
Disclaimer :
The trend in retail sales does not reflect that of total household consumption: the latter includes other items such as healthcare, education and rents.
The trend in retail sales does not reflect that of total household consumption: the latter includes other items such as healthcare, education and rents.
In January 2021, turnover in retail trade inched down by 0.8% year-on-year (adjusted for seasonal and working-day variations) after rising by 16.2% in December. While food sales grew by 1.6%, industrial goods sales fell by 2.5% year-on-year. This development can be attributed to both the postponement of the sales period (from 20 January this year, whereas it started on 8 January last year) and the tightening of the curfew, from 8pm to 6pm across the whole country. Two sectors drove industrial goods higher: the optical sector, which experienced a significant rebound of 18.6% due to a particularly weak month in January 2020, and the DIY sector with a 16.2% increase, which maintained the momentum started in 2020. Conversely, the sectors that saw the sharpest falls were footwear, down 22.7%, textiles and clothing, down 20.3%, and sports equipment, down 16.8%.
By distribution channel, sales of small retailers fell by 2.8% year-on-year while those of large general retailers edged up by 1.2%. For January, the final data for distance selling were not yet available; for December 2020, it grew very strongly by 42.0% year-on-year (after 44.3% in November).
By distribution channel, sales of small retailers fell by 2.8% year-on-year while those of large general retailers edged up by 1.2%. For January, the final data for distance selling were not yet available; for December 2020, it grew very strongly by 42.0% year-on-year (after 44.3% in November).
Total industrial goods and food sales: year-on-year change (%)
January 2021 and December 2020, y-o-y comparison; seasonally and working-day adjusted volume terms
Notes :
- Sectors are classified according to the relative weight of the products included in the total aggregate of retail trade (see methodology)
- The aggregated and by sub-sector series are seasonally adjusted on an individual basis: the seasonally adjusted series do not represent the sum of the seasonally adjusted components.
- Sectors are classified according to the relative weight of the products included in the total aggregate of retail trade (see methodology)
- The aggregated and by sub-sector series are seasonally adjusted on an individual basis: the seasonally adjusted series do not represent the sum of the seasonally adjusted components.
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