H1 – HUF 2890 billion sales volume, decreasing tendency

Specialized and non-specialized food, beverages and tobacco (53%) furniture and household goods (18%), book, newspaper and other (11%) stores played a major role in retailing.

According to calendar adjusted data,
the volume of retail sales decreased by 1.9% in June, and by 2.2% in the first half-year of
2008 compared to prior-year levels. Compared to the previous month, the volume of retail sales
decreased by 0.3% according to seasonally and calendar adjusted data. In the first half-year of 2008,
the domestic retail turnover (including retail sale via mail order houses) was HUF 2890 billion. In June,
retail sales exceeded HUF 535 billion.
According to calendar adjusted data,
the volume of retail sales in specialized and nonspecialized food, beverages and tobacco stores
decreased by 1.6% in the first half-year of 2008 and by 1.5% in June compared to the same
period a year ago. Sales volumes for non-specialized stores (hyper-,
supermarkets, groceries) – having a major, 92 per cent market share
– declined by 1.6% and sales for specialized food, beverages and
tobacco stores increased by 0.2%. In June, according to seasonally
and calendar adjusted data, food, beverages and tobacco stores had a
sales volume decrease of 0.2% compared to May.
According to calendar adjusted data,
the turnover of non-food retail trade – at constant prices – was down by 2.8% in the first half year
of 2008 and by 2.3% in June compared to the same period a year ago.
In June, sales volume for pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics
and toilet articles shops as well as that for mail order houses and
second-hand goods shops increased while sales declined in all other
activity groups. In volume terms, retail sales fell the most in
furniture and household goods shops. In June, non-food retail sales
at constant prices – according to seasonally and calendar adjusted
data – decreased by 0.3% compared to the previous month.
In the first quarter of 2008,
Central-Hungary continued to represent the highest, 39%, share in national retail turnover. Other regions
have roughly equal (9-12%) shares in retail sales. In quarter 1, the
volume of retail sales reached the level of June 2007 in Central
Transdanubia while all other regions reported decline, the highest
decreases were in Southern Great Plain.
The Eurostat estimated the lowest
indices of 2008 for June 2008: on the basis of calendar adjusted data the volume of retail turnover for
the 27 member states of the European Union decreased on average by
1.1%, and that for the eurozone countries by 3.1% compared to the
same month a year ago. Among the Member States for which data are
available, total retail trade rose in nine and fell in ten. The
highest increases were observed in Romania, and the largest decreases
were in Latvia, Spain and Estonia.
In June 2008, sales volume for motor
vehicles and motor vehicle parts and accessories stores – not regarded as retailing by the
European Statistical System – fell by 6.2% in June and by 0.8% in
the first half-year of 2008. This tendency corresponds to data of
first time registered road vehicles. At constant prices, besides the
slowly growing stock of road vehicles, the retail trade turnover of
automotive fuel was higher by 0.5% in June and by 0.1% in the first
half-year of 2008 than the same period a year ago. As for automotive
fuel sales, the member corporations of the Hungarian Petroleum
Association show a similar tendency.