Press release 26/02/2021

LARGE STORES AND FOOD CHAINS TRADE INDEX OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY. JANUARY 2021

Sales in large stores and food chains in the Basque Country increased by 0.4% in January 2021

Compared to December 2020 sales were down 5.2%

Sales at large stores and food chains in the Basque Country in January 2021 posted a year-on-year increase (January 2021 compared to January 2020) at constant prices of 0.4% in homogenous terms of the working calendar, according to Eustat data.

In relation to the previous month, December 2020, sales were down 5.2% in January 2021, in deseasonalised terms.

Sales of food products at large stores and food chains posted a year-on-year rise of 7.8%, whereas sales corresponding to other items saw a decrease of 11.9%, with respect to the same month of the previous year, once corrected for calendar effects.

In relation to December 2020, and in deseasonalised terms, sales of food products at constant prices fell by 0.4% in January 2021, and those corresponding to other products were down 15.3%.

By province, sales were up 2.3% in Álava and 1.1% in Gipuzkoa in January 2021 in year-on-year terms, once corrected for calendar effects. However, in Bizkaia sales were down 0.5% in respect of those observed in January 2020.

The number of people employed in large stores and food chains in the Basque Country in January 2021 fell by 0.2% compared to the same month of the previous year and was up 1.3% on the previous month, in deseasonalised terms.

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) 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 current circumstances. As a result, the January index was calculated with 90.0% coverage of the sample - whose information was collected during February.

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