The retail trade sector of the A.C. of the Basque Country increased nominal sales by 0.3% in the second quarter of 2008 with regard to the same period of the previous year, in standardised terms of the working calendar, according to Eustat data. This nominal increase, once the effect of price rises are discounted, also becomes a year-on-year decrease of 2.3% in real terms.

Compared with the previous quarter, domestic retail trade sales, once the seasonal effect has been discounted, fell by 0.2% in nominal terms and by 0.6% in constant terms.

Source: EUSTAT

Specialised retail trade decreased its nominal sales by 1.2% in the second quarter of 2008, with regard to the same period in 2007. This nominal decrease becomes a drop of 2.4% in real terms.

Non-specialised retail trade grew by 2.6% in nominal terms during the second quarter of this year. The variation in the year-on-year rate was 2.3% with regard to the same quarter of 2007.

Specialised retail trade saw the highest year-on-year growth rate in the Personal Equipment Sector, which registered 3.3% nominal growth, which in real terms was a rate of 3.9%. Food was also up by 2.6% in nominal terms, which becomes a negative rate of -2.8% in real terms. Sales of Household Equipment fell by 1.3% in constant euros, which represented a decrease of 3.5% in real terms. On the other hand, Other Consumer Good recorded a nominal decrease of 3.0% and this rate became a fall of 3.5% in real terms.

Non-specialised retail trade with a predominance of food products grew by 3.5 in nominal terms, but fell by 2.0% in real terms. With regards non-specialised retail trade with a predominance of other products, there was a 2.0% fall in nominal terms, which became a 4.0% drop in real terms.

In the second quarter of 2008, retail domestic trade of Gipuzkoa registered growth of 3.7% in nominal terms, with respect to the same quarter of the previous year. This growth was 0.9% in constant values. Sales in Bizkaia fell by 0.9% in nominal terms and by 3.6% in real terms. In Álava, sales fell by 2.4% in nominal terms and by 4.7% in real terms.

With respect to the previous quarter, once the seasonal effect has been discounted, retail domestic trade in Gipuzkoa was up by 1.2%, it fell by 0.5% in Bizkaia and was down by 2.4% in Álava.

Employment in the retail trade sector registered growth of 0.2% in the second quarter of 2008 compared to the previous quarter. In Bizkaia it was up by 0.3%, in Gipuzkoa it remained practically the same and in Álava fell by 0.1%.