Press release 05/02/2010
Retail sector sales fell 2.1% in the Basque Country in the fourth quarter of 2009
The accumulated drop in sales for 2009 was 5.7% overall, in nominal terms
The retail trade sector of the Basque Country registered a 2.1% drop in nominal sales in the fourth quarter of 2009 with regard to the same period of the previous year, according to Eustat data.
Retail sector sales, without including service stations, remained unchanged (0.0%) in year-on-year terms.
With respect to the previous quarter, the sales index fell by a nominal 0.3%, once any seasonal effects have been eliminated.
By sectors, specialised retail trade nominal sales fell by 2.4% in the fourth quarter of 2009, while non-specialised ones fell by 1.3% with regard to the same period of 2008.
The performance of the Household Equipment sector was particularly noteworthy as it posted a nominal growth of 9.1%. The Personal Equipment sector did not show any variations in its nominal growth rates, while sales of Food products dropped by 8.9% in nominal terms and Other Consumer Goods were down by 8.2%.
The performances within the non-specialised retail trade sector were uneven: year-on-year sales of the food sub-sectors fell by 2.1%, while those coming under Other Products were up by 3.5%.
By Provinces, the greatest drop, in the fourth quarter of 2009, in retail sector nominal sales was in Álava, with a 3.5% year-on-year decrease, while nominal sales fell by 2.1% in Bizkaia and 1.5% in Gipuzkoa.
In constant prices, retail trade sales fell by 1.3% in the fourth quarter after eliminating the price effect.
Retail sales, without including service stations, posted real growth of 0.5% with respect to the previous year.
The real drop was 1.4% in the case of specialised and 1.3% for non-specialised retail trade with respect to the same quarter of 2008.
Year-on-year performances varied within specialised retail trade: Household Equipment rose by 8.5%, while Personal Equipment also posted positive real growth of 2.5%. However, Other Consumer Goods fell by 7% and Food product sales were down by 9%, both in real terms.
As far as non-specialised retail trade was concerned, year-on-year sales of the food sub-sectors fell by 2.1%, while those coming under Other Products were up by 3.8%, in constant euros.
The number of people employed in the retail trade sector in the Basque Country overall in the fourth quarter of 2009 was down by 0.7% on the third quarter of 2009.
2009 ANNUAL BALANCE
Retail trade sales for the year overall posted an accumulated nominal decrease of 5.7%. If service stations are excluded, other retail trade sales fell by 3.4%.
In real terms, the sector overall posted a drop of 3.8%, which was 3.3% without the service stations.
By provinces, the best performance was recorded by Gipuzkoa, with a decrease of 4.8% for the year as a whole, while sales fell in Bizkaia by 5.2% and by 9.4% in Álava, all in nominal rates. In real terms, the downturn in the three provinces was 2.5% for Bizkaia, 3.9% for Gipuzkoa and 6.4% for Álava.
The accumulated fall in employment in the retail trade sector in 2009 compared to the average for the previous year was 3.1% and was reflected provincially as follows: it was down by 5.1% in Álava, 3.9% in Bizkaia and 1.0% in Gipuzkoa.
Methodological note: The adaptation to the new European classification (NACE Rev 2) and its national version (CNAE-09) has led to changes to the Retail Trade Index. The most important aspect is the retail trade fuel for cars in specialised establishments (service stations) being included. The Retail Trade Index includes this activity, but a Retail Trade Index without service stations is also calculated and is comparable with what has been disseminated up to now. The historical series have been recalculated using the new classification
For further information:
Basque Statistics Office
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es
Contact: Gerardo Pérez Aja
T el:+34-945-01 75 06 F ax:+34-945-01 75 01
Online press releases: www.eustat.es
Databank: www.eustat.eus/bancopx/english/indice.aspx