IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

Measured in real terms (constant 2015 prices), retail trade sales increased by 1,9% year-on-year in May 2018. The highest annual growth rates were recorded for:

• retailers in household furniture, appliances and equipment (14,4%);
• all 'other' retailers (9,7%); and
• retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (4,1%).

The main contributor to the 1,9% increase was all 'other' retailers (contributing 1,1 percentage points).

Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales increased by 1,1% in May 2018 compared with April 2018. This followed month-on-month changes of -1,1% in April 2018 and -0,2% in March 2018.

In the three months ended May 2018, seasonally adjusted retail trade sales decreased by 0,1% compared with the previous three months.

Retail trade sales increased by 2,4% in the three months ended May 2018 compared with the three months ended May 2017. The main contributors to this increase were:

• all 'other' retailers (6,7% and contributing 0,8 of a percentage point);
  
• retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (4,1% and contributing 0,7 of a percentage  point); and
• retailers in household furniture, appliances and equipment (14,7% and contributing 0,6 of a percentage  point).