Press release 06/11/2020

RETAIL TRADE INDEX (ICIm). III/2020

Sales in the retail trade sector of the Basque Country were up 2.1% in the third quarter of 2020

In the balance of the first three quarters of 2020 commercial activity has contracted by 5.7%

In the third quarter of 2020 sales in the retail trade sector of the Basque Country increased by 2.1% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, once corrected for calendar effects and at constant prices, according to Eustat data. Sales in the sector, not including service stations, rose in the same terms by 2.6%.

Compared to the second quarter of 2020, and once the corresponding seasonal effects had been eliminated, the sales index in the third quarter of 2020 increased by 19.8% in constant prices, overcoming the 11.5% drop seen in the second quarter of 2020.

By sectors, food sales were up by 2.9%, and sales of other products increased by 2.4%, while sales of automotive fuel decreased by 4.4%, all with regards to the same period in 2019 and once the price and calendar effects had been discounted.

Compared to the second quarter of 2020, in deseasonalised terms, food sales fell by 2.5%, while sales of other products and automotive fuel increased by 48% and 47.9%, respectively.

In the retail food sector, specialised trade in food, beverages and tobacco (establishments such as greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers, etc.) shrank by 0.8% , while non-specialised retail trade with food, beverages or tobacco predominating (basically supermarkets and hypermarkets) increased by 4.8%.

In retail trade of other products, at constant prices and once corrected for calendar effects, the performance of sales in the third quarter of 2020 in relation to the same quarter of 2019 was disparate. Thus, specialised trade in household goods which includes, among others, domestic appliances, furniture and telecommunications equipment, rose by 10.1% and specialised retail trade in other consumer goods (books, stationary items, toys and sports items, for example), increased by 1.9%. Conversely, specialised trade in personal goods (clothes, footwear and pharmaceutical products, for example) fell by 0.5% and non-specialised trade with other products predominating was down 5.4%.

By province, the sales index in the third quarter of 2020 registered a year-on-year increase in the three provinces. Álava (4.3%), Bizkaia (2.3%) and Gipuzkoa (0.8%), following increases in respect of the second quarter of 16.0%, 16.6% and 27.1%, respectively.

The number of people employed in the retail trade sector in the Basque Country overall in the third quarter of 2020 was down 2.2% on the second quarter of the previous year. Compared to the second quarter of 2020, there was a drop of 0.1%.

ACCUMULATED BALANCE FOR THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS OF 2020

Retail trade activity shrank by 5.7% in the balance of the first three quarters of 2020 in the Basque Country, with a disparate performance between food sales, which increased by 5.7%; sales of other products, down 12.7%; and sales of automotive fuels, which fell by 15.4%.

By province, Álava had the lowest decrease in sales, with -2.2%, followed by Bizkaia with -5.6% and Gipuzkoa with -7.4%.

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 circumstances. As a result, the index for the third quarter was calculated with 90.7% coverage of the sample - whose information was collected during October.

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