Press Release 25/11/2020

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

Sales in large stores and food chains in the Basque Country rose by 6.7% in October 2020

In the accumulated total for the first ten months of 2020, sales increased by 2.1%

Sales at large stores and food chains in the Basque Country in October 2020 experienced a year-on-year increase at constant prices of 6.7% in homogenous terms of the working calendar, according to Eustat data. Compared to the previous month, September 2020, sales were up 1.0% in deseasonalised terms.

Sales of food products at large stores and food chains posted a year-on-year rise of 7.4%, whereas sales corresponding to other items experienced an increase of 5.2%, with respect to the same month of the previous year, once corrected for calendar effects.

In relation to September 2020, and in deseasonalised terms, sales of food products at constant prices rose by 1.2%, and those corresponding to other products were up 0.6%.

In all provinces, sales increased in October 2020 in year-on-year terms once corrected for calendar effects: in Álava by 7.4%, in Bizkaia by 4.8% and in Gipuzkoa by 9.6%.

The number of people employed in large stores and food chains in the Basque Country in October 2020 fell by 2.6% compared to the same month of the previous year and was up 0.8% on the previous month, in deseasonalised terms.

Balance for the first ten months of 2020: food sales rose by 8.6%, while sales of other products dropped by 10.5%

In the accumulated period of January to October 2020, the sales index in large stores and food chains registered 2.1% growth. Accumulated sales of food products increased by 8.6% compared to the same 10-month period of 2019, while accumulated sales of other products were 10.5% lower than in the same period of the previous year.

Sales increased in all provinces in the year-to-date: Bizkaia by 0.9%, Álava by 3.0%, and Gipuzkoa by 3.9%, all at constant prices and in homogeneous terms of the working calendar.

In the accumulated total for the first ten months of 2020 the number of people employed was up 1.4% on the same period of 2019.

NOTE

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.

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.

Eustat would like to thank all the establishments that have collaborated in making this effort despite the extraordinary current circumstances. As a result, the October index was calculated with 90.48% coverage of the sample - whose information was collected during November.

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