Press Release 06/02/2025
RETAIL TRADE INDEX (ICIm). IV/2024
Retail trade sales in the Basque Country rose by 2.9% in 2024 as a whole
In the final quarter of 2024, sales were up 4.0% on those observed in the final quarter of the previous year
In 2024 as a whole, retail trade sales in the Basque Country registered growth of 2.9%, according to Eustat data. In the case of the Food sector the rise was 3.9%, in Other Products this was 2.6% and in the Automotive Fuels sector sales were 1.7% lower than those registered during 2023.
By province, retail sector sales increased throughout 2024 by 3.5% in Gipuzkoa, 2.7% in Álava and 2.6% in Bizkaia.
The index of people employed in the sector posted a 0.9% increase during 2024.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, the retail trade sector in the Basque Country saw an increase in sales of 4.0% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Without taking service stations into consideration, the year-on-year increase in sales was 4.7%.
In respect of the previous quarter, once seasonal effects had been eliminated, the retail trade sales index rose by 0.6% during the fourth quarter of 2024.
During the final quarter of the year, sales at constant prices in Food and in Other Products increased in relation to the same quarter of 2023 by 4.7% and 4.6% respectively. In the Automotive Fuel sector, however, sales were down 3.2% on those observed in the same quarter of the previous year.
Compared to the third quarter of 2024, in deseasonalised terms and at constant prices, sales in Food registered growth of 1.4%, while sales in Other Products and in Automotive Fuel were down 0.5% and 3.2%, respectively.
Retail Trade Index in the Basque Country. Inter-annual and inter-mensual variation rates (p). 2024/IV
| | Constant prices |
| | t / t-4 | t / t-1 | At / At-4 |
| SALES INDEX by historic territory | | | |
| Basque Country | 4,0 | 0,6 | 2,9 |
| Araba/Álava | 3,8 | -0,4 | 2,7 |
| Bizkaia | 3,8 | 0,7 | 2,6 |
| Gipuzkoa | 4,5 | 1,0 | 3,5 |
| | | | |
| SALES INDEX by sector | | | |
| Foodstuffs | 4,7 | 1,4 | 3,9 |
| Establishments specialized in food | 3,5 | 0,5 | 2,9 |
| Nonspecialist establishments mainly selling food products | 5,2 | 0,6 | 4,3 |
| Rest of products | 4,6 | -0,5 | 2,6 |
| Establishments specialising in personal equipment | 3,6 | 0,5 | 3,6 |
| Establishments specialising in household equipment | 1,7 | -0,1 | -0,5 |
| Establishments specialising in other consumer goods | 9,0 | 1,6 | 2,5 |
| Nonspecialist establishments mainly selling other products | 6,5 | 1,7 | 5,3 |
| Automotive fuel | -3,2 | -3,2 | -1,7 |
| | | | |
| GENERAL INDEX without service station | 4,7 | 0,5 | 3,3 |
| | | | |
| Personnel index | | | |
| Basque Country | 0,1 | -0,5 | 0,9 |
(p)Provisional data
t / t-4 Year-on-year variation. Data corrected for calendar effects
t / t-1 Interquarterly variation. Deseasonalised data
At / A(t-4) Year-on-year variation rate in the accumulated period from the 1st quarter to the last quarter observed (At) with regards to the same accumulated period in the previous year (A(t-4))
Date Februay 6, 2025
Source: Eustat. Retail Trade Index (ICIm)
Within the Food retail trade, sales in Specialised trade in food, beverages and tobacco (establishments such as greengrocers, butchers and fishmongers) rose by 3.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. Sales in retail trade which is Non-specialised with food, beverages and tobacco predominating (primarily supermarkets and hypermarkets), increased by 5.2% in year-on-year terms.
Within the retail trade of Other Products, sales in the Specialised trade in personal goods sector (clothes, footwear, cosmetic and hygiene products) increased by 3.6% in year-on-year terms and in the Specialised trade in household goods sector (including domestic appliances, furniture and telecommunications equipment), sales were up 1.7%.
Within the Specialised trade in other consumer goods sector (including, for example, sporting goods, games and toys) sales rose by 9.0% compared to the fourth quarter of the previous year. Finally, in the Non-specialised trade with other products predominating sector (mail order or online), the increase in sales was 6.5%.
The retail trade sales index for the fourth quarter of 2024 registered a year-on-year increase in all three provinces. In Gipuzkoa the index rose by 4.5% while in both Álava and Bizkaia the increase was 3.8%.
Compared to the previous quarter, the evolution in sales was also positive in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, with increases of 0.7% and 1.0% respectively. However, in Álava sales were down 0.4% in quarter-on-quarter terms.
The number of people employed in the retail trade sector in the Basque Country as a whole in the fourth quarter of 2024 rose by 0.1% in relation to the fourth quarter of the previous year. However, compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, employment fell by 0.5%.
NOTE
Year-on-year variations are calculated using the series corrected for calendar effects, and month-on-month variations are calculated using the deseasonalised series.
Eustat would like to thank all the establishments that have collaborated with gathering information. As a result, the index for this quarter was calculated with 94.42% coverage of the sample.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel.: 945 01 75 62