Press release 08/11/2019

RETAIL TRADE INDEX (ICIm). III/2019

Retail sector sales rose by 2.1% in the Basque Country in the third quarter of 2019

All retail trade sub-sectors analysed presented positive data, except specialised trade in personal equipment

The retail trade sector of the Basque Country registered a 2.1% rise in nominal sales in the third quarter of 2019 with regards to the same period of the previous year, once the price effect had been discounted, according to data provided by Eustat. Sales in the sector, not including service stations, were up by 2.2% in year-on-year terms.

With respect to the previous quarter, the sales index was up 0.6% in real terms, once any seasonal effects had been eliminated.

By sector, food products registered a rise of 2.3% in sales in the third quarter of 2019, whilst retail trade of other products was up 2.1%; sales of automotive fuel increased by 1.3%, all with regards to the third quarter of 2018 and at constant prices.

In the retail food sector, specialised trade was up by 2.3%, as non-specialised trade in mainly food products rose by 2.2%.

In retail trade of other products there were rises and falls in all the sectors that were taken into account. Specialised trade in household goods rose by 7.6% and the sector specialising in other consumer goods was up 0.7%, and finally, non-specialist trade in mainly other products increased by 0.5%, but specialised trade in personal equipment decreased by 1.5%, all at constant prices.

By province, increases in year-on-year sales were posted in all three provinces: in Álava there was an increase of 1.4%, in Bizkaia there was a rise of 1.9% and in Gipuzkoa they were up 2.7% compared to the third quarter of 2018.

In the accumulated period of January to September 2019, the retail trade sector of the Basque Country registered 1.6% growth, an increase that was produced both in food sales (1.7%) and in sales of other products (1.5%), and in automotive fuel sales (1.6%). There was also a positive trend in the three provinces: Álava increased in the year-to-date by 1.4%, Bizkaia by 1.6%, and Gipuzkoa by 1.5%, all at constant prices and in homogeneous terms of the working calendar.

The number of people employed in the retail trade sector in the Basque Country overall in the third quarter of 2019 was up by 0.3% with respect to the same quarter of the previous year and was up by 0.2% on the second quarter of 2019. In the accumulated period of January to September the number of people employed was up 0.3% on the same period of 2018.

For further information:

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