According to data made available by EUSTAT, sales registered in large stores in the A.C. of the Basque Country underwent a nominal inter-annual increase in June 2003 of 3.6% with respect to the same month of the previous year. Once prices are adjusted for inflation, the inter-annual rate for June changes to an increase of 1.0% in real growth terms.

Sales in this commercial sector reached nominal growth rates of 2.7% in Gipuzkoa, 3.3% in Alava, while in Bizkaia a slightly higher increase of 4.3% was registered. If these figures are adjusted into real terms, large stores in Gipuzkoa increased sales by 0.1%, in Alava by 0.7% and in Bizkaia they underwent an increase of 1.7%.

Sales of foodstuffs in the A.C. of Euskadi registered a nominal inter-annual increase of 0.7% in the month of June, while sales corresponding to other articles underwent a greater increase, of 8.1%. In real terms (with the price increase effect taken into account), sales of foodstuffs fell by 2.8% and other products increased by 5.8%.

Sales of foodstuffs, in real terms, underwent similar changes in the three Provinces of the A.C. of Euskadi, falling by 3.5% in Bizkaia, 2.4% in Alava, while in Gipuzkoa foodstuffs sales registered a lower decrease of 2.0%.

With regard to the change in the sales of rest of products, the Provincial breakdown reveals a more varied behaviour, with growth of 4.1% in Alava, 2.9% in Gipuzkoa and 7.5% in Bizkaia, measured in constant terms.

The number of personnel employed in large stores underwent an increase of 1.7% in June 2003 in comparison to the previous month of May and an increase of 1.5% on the month of June from the previous year. The inter-annual change in employment reflected similar results between the three Provinces, of which the growth in Alava (2.2%) stands out compared to the lower increase in Gipuzkoa (1.6%) and Bizkaia (1.1%).