Growth in Bizkia came to 4.7%, above the average, while Álava (1.8%) and Gipuzkoa (3.3%) registered a more moderate performance

The retail trade sector of the A.C. of the Basque Country increased nominal sales by 3.9% in the second quarter of 2007 with regard to the same period the year before, according to Eustat data. This nominal increase, discounting the effect of price rises, also becomes a positive inter-annual evolution of 2.4% in real terms.

Real rates of inter-annual growth. A.C. of Euskadi

Source: EUSTAT

Specialised retail trade increased nominal sales by 4.7% in the second quarter of 2007, with regard to the same period in 2006. This nominal increase becomes a growth rate of 3.5% in real terms.

Non-specialised retail trade grew by 2.4% in nominal terms during the second quarter of this year. The variation in the inter-annual rate was 0.2% with regard to the same quarter of 2006.

Specialised retail trade saw the highest inter-annual growth rate in the Other Consumer Goods (sports, toys, optics and stationery among others), which registered 12.4% nominal growth, which in real terms was a rate of 10.1%. Sales of Personal Equipment also grew significantly, by 3.9% in nominal terms, which in real terms was also a positive rate of 3.7%. Sales of Household Equipment grew by 0.8% in constant euros, which was a growth of 1.4% in real terms. On the other hand, the Food Sector registered a nominal decrease of 1.4% and this rate became -5.5% in real terms.

By Provinces, the highest growth, in the second quarter of 2007, in retail sector nominal sales was in Bizkaia, with an 4.7% inter-annual increase, with specialised retail trade sales rising 7.9% and non-specialised retail trade sales by 3.2%.

Gkpuzkoa registered an intermediary provincial growth of 3.3%, with specialised retail sales up by 5.0% and non-specialised sales by 0.2%

The lower inter-annual provincial growth in retail sales was in Álava (1.8%), where specialised retail trade sales were up by 0.7% and non-specialised retail trade grew by 4.0%, always in terms of nominal inter-annual variation.

Accumulated growth in employment in the retail trade sector on the average for the second quarter of 2007 was 0.4% and can be broken down by provinces as follows: Bizkaia grew by 0.8%, Álava by 0.3% and Gipuzkoa decreased by 0.2%. However, personnel employed in the retail trade sector in relation to the average for the same period the year before grew by 1.0% in the whole of the three provinces: increasing by 2.8% in Gipuzkoa, and 0.5% in Álava and was down by 0.1% in Bizkaia.