Press release 26/01/2012

LARGE STORES TRADE INDEX OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY (ICGS) DECEMBER 2011

Sales at large stores in the Basque Country fell by 4.0% in December 2011

In 2011 as a whole sales at large stores fell by 3.5% compared to 2010

Sales registered in the large stores in the Basque Country in December 2011 experienced a nominal year-on-year downturn of 4.0% in homogenous terms of the working calendar, according to Eustat data. Sales of food products at large stores reflected a nominal year-on-year fall of 3.9%, while sales of other items were down by 4.0%.

In interannual terms sales fell in the three provinces. In Álava there was a drop of 4.5%, in Bizkaia it was 3.1% and in Gipuzkoa sales fell by 5.2%.

With respect to the previous month, November 2011, sales for the Basque Country as a whole rose by 0.7% in nominal terms. Sales of food products fell by 2.5% with respect to the previous month, whilst there was a rise in sales of 2.5% for other products.

By provinces, and in relation to November, there was an increase in total sales at large stores in Álava, with an increase of 5.0%, and in Bizkaia, with a rise of 0.7%, whilst in Gipuzkoa there was a fall of 1.3%.

In constant terms, sales at large stores in the Basque Country registered a 6.3% year-on-year decrease and a 0.7% upturn in comparison to the previous month.

Compared to December 2010, sales of food products fell by 6.6%, whilst those of other products were down by 6.1% in constant euros. This trend was reflected in the three provinces. In Bizkaia the fall was 5.5%, in Álava it was 6.8% and in Gipuzkoa there was a fall of 7.6%, in constant terms.

Compared to the previous month, food product sales, once the price effect had been discounted, fell by 2.4% compared to November 2010 and those of other products saw an increase of 2.4%. By provinces, there was a 1.1% drop in Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia rose by 0.7%, whilst there was a 4.9% upturn in Gipuzkoa, in real terms.

Personnel employed in establishments in large stores fell by 1.0% in December 2011 with respect to November, in deseasonalised terms; in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa there were decreases of 0.8% and 1.7%, respectively, with the change being positive in Álava, where the increase was 0.1%.

ANNUAL BALANCE 2011

There was a nominal drop of 3.5% in sales at large stores in the Basque Country in the whole of the twelve months of 2011 with respect to the previous year, which, once the price effect had been discounted, represented a real rate of -6.6%, always in homogenous terms of the working calendar.

By province, the evolutions accumulated in the whole of 2011 were the following: in Álava sales fell by 3.7%, in Bizkaia 3.6% and in Gipuzkoa they were down 3.1%, in nominal terms. In real terms, decreases were produced in the three provinces: in Álava they fell 6.8%, in Bizkaia they fell 6.7% whilst in Gipuzkoa there was a drop of 6.2%.

For further information:

Basque Statistics Office C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Tel: +34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es Contact: Gerardo Pérez Aja Tel: +34-945-01 75 06 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 Further press releases on ICGS - large stores trade index of the Basque Country Databank on ICGS - large stores trade index of the Basque Country