The Domestic Trade Index for the first quarter of 2008 underwent a 2.2% nominal inter-annual increase on the same period of the previous year, according to EUSTAT data Once the effect of price rises have been discounted, trade sector sales decreased by 0.4% in the first quarter of the year.

Compared with the previous quarter, inter-quarter domestic trade sales, once the seasonal effect has been discounted, were up by 0.7% in nominal terms, while there were no fluctuations in constant terms.

Table 1. Nominal inter-annual domestic trade sales growth rates. Data corrected for calendar effects. A.C. of the Basque Country

Source: EUSTAT

Wholesale trade increased inter-annual sales by 2.4% over the first quarter of this year, while retail trade increased sales by 2.0%. If these nominal data are considered in real terms, once the effect of price rises has been discounted, retail sector sales fell by 0.6% and wholesale sector sales by 1.9%.

In the wholesale sector there was outstanding growth in nominal sales of Agriculture and Food Products (7.9%) and sales of Machinery and Equipment (9.9%), while sales of Non-food Consumer Products and Semi-elaborated Products and Scrap Metal both registered a more moderate increases of 0.6%

In the retail sector, both specialised and non-specialised trade registered nominal inter-annual growth in sales of 2.1% and 3%, respectively.

By Provinces, the Domestic Trade Index for Gipuzkoa (3.9%) and Bizkaia (2.7%) grew in nominal terms, while it fell by 0.8% in Álava. If these nominal data are converted into real data, the following results are obtained: trade sales decreased by 0.2% in Gipuzkoa, 0.7% in Bizkaia and 1.1% in Álava.

In Álava, wholesale trade sales had a negative evolution (-0.8%), while retail trade sales increased by 1.7% in nominal terms. In Bizkaia, however, even though growth was registered in both sectors, the retail sector increase (2.7%) was higher than that registered by the retail trade (1.7%). In Gipuzkoa, retail trade grew by 2.8% and wholesale by 3.9%.

Personnel employed in the trade sector of the A. C. of the Basque Country increased by 1.3% in the first quarter of 2008, with regard to the same quarter of the previous year, the increase in employment in the wholesale sector being 1.4% and 1.2% in the retail sector From a provincial perspective, the highest inter-annual growth in employment in this sector occurred in Álava (2.2%), followed by Bizkaia (2.1%), while in Gipuzkoa there was a slight 0.4% inter-annual decrease.

Methodology note:

The Retail Trade Index for the first quarter of 2008 was prepared using the new 2005 base and this replaces the previous 2000 base. The improvements of this base change include the updating of the representative panel of the reporting companies from the commercial sector of A.C. of the Basque Country, which notably increases their number. In addition, the series of the retail trade index have been corrected and seasonal effects discounted.

The new 2005-base series has been linked with the previous 2000 base so that the relevant monitoring can continue, without any interruption, of the annual and quarterly data that the Domestic Trade Index has provided since 1993, and which will be available on the Eustat website from next week onwards.