Alava rose by 5.5%, higher than the average increase, while the increases in Bizkaia (4.2%) and Gipuzkoa (4.3%) were more moderate.

According to data made available by Eustat, the retail sector in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country increased its sales during the second quarter of 2003 by 4.4% in nominal terms, in comparison to the same period of the previous year. This nominal growth, once converted to real terms, is still positive, reflecting an increase of 2,1%.

Traditional retail trade (specialized) increased in nominal sales by 3.6% during the second quarter of 2003, in comparison to the same period for 2002. This nominal increase, once price inflation has been taken into account, converts to an increase of 2.0% in real terms.

The retail trade in medium sized and large stores (not specialized) grew, in nominal terms, by 5.8% during the second quarter of the year. Once the effect of price increases had been taken into account, the change in the inter-annual rate is 2.4% with respect to the same quarter of the previous year.

Looking at the provinces, the highest growth, in this second quarter, of nominal sales in the retail sector took place in Alava, with an inter-annual increase of 5.5%, due to the increase in non-specialized retail trade 6.1%); Gipuzkoa follows with a positive change of 4.3% in the general index, while Bizkaia obtained a growth rate of 4.2%. In real terms the increases produced were 3.1% in Alava, 2.1% in Gipuzkoa and 1,9% in Bizkaia.

With regard to personnel employed in the retail sector in the second quarter of 2003, there was an inter-annual increase (in comparison with the same quarter of the previous year) for the whole of the A.C. of the Basque Country of 1.4%, which was reflected in the provinces in the following manner: in Alava there was an increase of 1.8% Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa rose by 1.3%.