Retail Sales August 2007

In August, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office, seasonally adjusted sales in ‘retail trade except of motor vehicles and motorcycles’ increased by 0.3% month-on-month at constant prices. The year-on-year increase was 7.2%, not seasonally adjusted sales 6.9%. The growth of sales of food, beverages and tobacco accelerated to 5.4%, non-food goods on the contrary recorded this year’s lowest increase of 7.9%. Seasonally adjusted sales in hotels and restaurants increased by 0.7% month-on-month in August, not seasonally adjusted sales increased by 1.8% year-on-year.





Seasonally adjusted sales in retail trade (CZ-NACE 52) increased by 0.3% month-on-month at constant prices in August, of which non-food goods by 0.5% while prices of food, beverages and tobacco stagnated. The growth of the trend component by 0.5% followed up on the trend from the previous four months and was 0.1 p.p. lower compared to the average of the last 12 months.


Year-on-year, after seasonal and working day adjustments (August 2007 and 2006 had the same number of working days), sales in retail trade increased by 7.2% at constant prices. Not seasonally adjusted sales grew by 6.9% which was the third lowest growth from the beginning of the year owing most to the sale of non-food goods that this year recorded the smallest increase (7.9%) in August. Conversely, food, beverages and tobacco recorded the second highest growth (5.4%).

Almost 30% contribution to the total growth had non-specialised stores with food, beverages and tobacco predominating and a 23% contribution had specialised stores with other non-food goods. The fastest sale growth occurred in, in terms of share little significant, retail sale via Internet or mail order houses (16.6%). A two digit growth was recorded also in stores with textiles, clothing and footwear and right below 10% ranged the year-on-year sale growth in stores with pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetic and toilet articles. (Table 3)

Broken down by size group of enterprises, the biggest growth of sales occurred in enterprises with 50 to 99 employees (+11.1%). Enterprises with 100+ employees reported a growth by 7.9%, with 0 to 19 employees by 5.9% and with 20 to 49 employees by 5.0%.