IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

Measured in real terms (constant 2012 prices), retail trade sales increased by 2,8% year-on-year in March 2016. Positive annual growth rates were recorded for:

• general dealers (6,0%);
• retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (4,9%);
• retailers in food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (0,3%); and
• retailers in pharmaceuticals and medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries (0,3%).

The main contributor to the 2,8% increase was general dealers (contributing 2,5 percentage points).

Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales increased by 0,2% month-on-month in March 2016. This followed month-on-month changes of 0,4% in February 2016 and -0,8% in January 2016. In the first quarter of 2016, seasonally adjusted retail trade sales increased by 0,2% compared with the previous quarter.

Retail trade sales increased by 3,4% in the first quarter of 2016 compared with the first quarter of 2015. The main contributors to this increase were:

• general dealers (4,5% and contributing 1,8 percentage points); and
• retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (4,0% and contributing 0,8 of a percentage point).