Press release 07/05/2019

RETAIL TRADE INDEX (ICIm). I/2019

Sales in the retail trade sector of the Basque Country rose by 2.0% in the first quarter of 2019

Not including petrol stations, retail trade grew 1.9% at constant prices

The retail trade sector of the Basque Country registered a 2.0% rise in sales at constant prices in the first quarter of 2019 with regards to the same period of the previous year, according to Eustat data. Sales in the sector, not including service stations, were up by 1.9% in year-on-year terms.

With respect to the previous quarter, the sales index was up 0.2% in real terms, once any seasonal effects had been eliminated.

By sector, food products registered a rise of 1.4% in sales in the first quarter of 2019, retail trade of other products was up 2.4% and sales of automotive fuel increased by 2.6%, all with regards to the same period in 2018 and once the price effect had been discounted.

In the retail food sector, specialised trade was down by 0.1%, as non-specialised trade in mainly food products rose by 2.2%.

In retail trade of other products there were positive variations in non-specialised trade in mainly other products, which were up 9.7%, in specialised trade in household equipment which increased by 2.2%, and in specialised trade of other consumer goods, which posted a rise of 1.2%. In contrast, specialised trade in personal equipment dropped 0.8%, all at constant prices.

By province, increases in year-on-year sales were posted in all three provinces. There was a rise of 2.7% in Bizkaia, of 1.7% in Álava and 0.9% in Gipuzkoa, all in real terms. Compared to the previous quarter, they were up 0.6% in Bizkaia, but in Gipuzkoa there was a decrease of 0.2%, while in Álava they fell by 0.1%.

The number of people employed in the retail trade sector in the Basque Country overall in the first quarter of 2019 was down 0.1% on the fourth quarter of 2018, and grew by 0.9% with respect to the same quarter of the previous year.

Methodological note: for the first quarter of 2019, the base year used as a reference for the Retail Trade Index (ICIm) was changed. The new ICIm base year of reference is 2015. This base change has signified the updating of the representative panel of participant companies of the retail trade sector in the Basque Country as well as the weighting structure for the various levels of disaggregation From this first quarter of 2019 the series corrected for calendar effects and the series adjusted for seasonal effects since the 2015 base year are obtained using the software JDemetra+ 2.2.1, following the Eurostat recommendations for carrying out seasonal and calendar adjustments in the official statistics of the European Union.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel: 945 01 75 62