Retail sales fall off

According to Central Statistic Office the calendar adjusted data, the volume of retail sales decreased by 3.7% in March, and by 3.1% in the first quarter of 2008 compared to prior-year levels.

In the first quarter of 2008, the
domestic retail turnover (including retail sale via mail order houses) was HUF 1329 billion.
Specialized and non-specialized food, beverages and tobacco (49 percent), furniture and household goods
(17 percent), book, newspaper and other (11 percent) stores played a major role in retailing. In
March, retail sales exceeded HUF 496 billion.
The volume of retail sales in
specialized and non-specialized food, beverages and tobacco stores decreased by 2.6% in the first
quarter of 2008 and by 4.2% in March compared with the same period a year ago. (In March 2008,
food, beverages and tobacco retail sales increased by an unadjusted
1.4%, the reason for the difference between unadjusted and adjusted
data is that Easter shopping was in March this year while it was in
April last year.) Sales volumes for non-specialized stores (hyper-,
supermarkets, groceries) – having a major, 92 per cent market share
– decreased by 4.2%, and sales for specialized food, beverages and
tobacco stores declined by 3.2%. In March, according to seasonally
and calendar adjusted data, the volume of retail trade turnover of
food, beverages and tobacco stores decreased by 1.1% compared to the
previous month.

Non-food retail trade turnover – at
constant prices – was down by 3.6% in the first quarter and by 3.3 percent in March compared with
the same period a year ago. In March, while sales declined in nearly
all activity groups, especially in second hand goods shops, sales
volumes in pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics and toilet
articles shops remained steady compared with the same month a year
ago. In March, non-food retail sales at constant prices – according
to seasonally and calendar adjusted data – were down by 0.1 percent
compared to the previous month.