IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

Measured in real terms (constant 2015 prices), retail trade sales increased by 4,9% year-on-year in February 2018. The highest annual growth rates were recorded for:

•  retailers in household furniture, appliances and equipment (14,2%);
•  retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (7,1%); and
•  all 'other' retailers (6,1%).

The main contributors to the 4,9% increase were:

• general dealers (contributing 1,8 percentage points); and
• retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (contributing 1,1 percentage points).

Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales increased by 1,8% month-on-month in February 2018. This followed month-on-month changes of -1,4% in January 2018 and -3,3% in December 2017. In the three months ended February 2018, seasonally adjusted retail trade sales decreased by 1,1% compared with the previous three months.

Retail trade sales increased by 4,5% in the three months ended February 2018 compared with the three months ended February 2017. The main contributors to this increase were:

• retailers in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (6,4% and contributing 1,2 percentage points);
• general dealers (2,8% and contributing 1,2 percentage points); and
• all 'other' retailers (8,9% and contributing 1,0 percentage point).