Press release 14/02/2020

SERVICE SECTOR INDEX. TRADE. IV/2019

Trade sector sales were up 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2019 in the Basque Country

Sales in the trade sector rose by 1.0% in 2019 in real terms

The Trade sector, which comprises Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, and the Sale & Repair of Vehicles, saw a 0.5% increase in sales in real terms, in the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to the same quarter of the previous year, according to Eustat data.

Trade sector sales rose by 0.2% compared with the previous quarter, at constant prices and once any seasonal effects had been eliminated.

Within the Trade sector, the year-on-year trends were positive for the Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles, with an increase of 6.0%, as well as for Retail Trade sales, which rose by 0.2%, while Wholesale Trade sales fell by 0.3%.

By province, Álava saw Trade sector sales rise by 3.0%, in Gipuzkoa they were up 1.5%, but in Bizkaia there was a drop of 0.9%; all compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 and once the price effect had been discounted.

The index of people employed in the Trade sector in the Basque Country remained unchanged (0.0%) in the year-on-year period.

ANNUAL BALANCE 2019

There was an accumulated increase of 1.0% in Trade sector sales for the year overall. Wholesale trade increased by 1.6% and Retail trade by 0.9%, whereas Sale & Repair of Motor Vehicles was down 1.1%.

In Álava, Trade sector sales rose by 2.2%; in Bizkaia there was an increase of 0.4%, and in Gipuzkoa they were up 1.5%, all at constant prices.

In 2019 the number of people employed in the Trade sector registered an increase of 0.8% on the average for the previous year.

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