Press release 25/06/2020

LARGE STORES AND FOOD CHAINS TRADE INDEX OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY. MAY 2020

The sales index of large stores and food chains in the Basque Country fell by 4.6% in May 2020

Sales of food products grew by 10.2%, while sales of other products were down 35.9%

Sales at large stores and food chains in the Basque Country in May 2020 experienced a year-on-year downturn at constant prices of 4.6% in homogenous terms of the working calendar, according to Eustat data. Compared to April 2020, sales were up 1.3% in deseasonalised terms.

The exceptional measures of confinement and partial or total closure adopted to confront the COVID-19 global pandemic during May 2020, have brought about a highly disparate result in food sales (essential and critical activity) and in sales of other articles (extremely restricted activity). Thus, while sales of food products at large stores and food chains reflected a year-on-year rise of 10.2%, sales corresponding to other items experienced a downturn of 35.9%, with respect to the same month of the previous year, once corrected for calendar effects.

However, in relation to April, the month when the severest measured were adopted, and once corrected for seasonal effects, food sales at constant prices were down 9.7%, whereas sales of other products increased by 74.0%, primarily due to the gradual reopening of establishments at the end of the month.

By province, all three registered a year-on-year decrease (May 2020 compared to May 2019) in sales at constant prices, with a fall, once corrected for calendar effects, of 3.5% in Álava; 5.8% in Bizkaia; and 3.1% in Gipuzkoa. In relation to the previous month, however, performance varied, given that total sales in deseasonalised terms increased by 1.1% in Álava and 2.3% in Bizkaia, whereas in Bizkaia sales were down 0.2%.

In the accumulated total for January to May 2020, the Sales index in large stores and food chains was down 1.6%, due to the 26.4% decrease in sales of other products, given that food sales registered an accumulated increase of 10.8%. The provinces of Álava and Bizkaia posted decreases in the year-to-date of 0.8% and 3.2% respectively, whereas the year-to-date trend was positive in the case of Gipuzkoa with an increase of 0.9%, all at constant prices and in homogeneous terms of the working calendar.

The number of people employed in large stores and food chains in the Basque Country rose by 1.4% compared to the same month of the previous year and was down 0.1% on the previous month, in deseasonalised terms. In the accumulated total for these five months of 2020 the number of people employed was up 1.6% on the same period of 2019.

Included as persons employed considered in this and other short-term indices, are those covered by an ERTE (Temporary Labour Force Adjustment Plan), following the definition of persons employed indicated by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) in its manual Methodology of Short Term Business Statistics.

NOTE ON THE EFFECT OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS ON THE MAY LARGE STORES AND FOOD CHAINS TRADE INDEX

Royal Decree 463/2020 of 14 March, declared a state of alarm in order to manage the health crisis caused by COVID-19.

The exceptional measures adopted subsequently have brought the usual activity of the majority of some establishments to a partial or total standstill, especially during the first weeks of May.

Due to this situation, obtaining the necessary information for compiling the Large Stores and Food Chains Trade Index has also required a greater degree of effort, by both the companies surveyed and the personnel dedicated to collecting and processing the information.

Eustat would like to thank all the establishments that have collaborated in making this effort despite the extraordinary circumstances. As a result, the May index was calculated with 88.10% coverage of the sample - whose information was collected during June.

The models used in the correction of calendar effects and deseasonalisation of the series include the effect of COVID-19 on the variables studied, following the recommendations of the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) (Eurostat) in its methodological note Guidance on Time Series Treatment in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.

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