Retail trade: sales down by 2.4 percent
Retail sales fell again in March 2016. Compared with the previous year, the nominal decline was 2.4 percent. Sales in the Swiss retail sector have been declining without interruption since January 2015.
Compared to the previous month, nominal retail sales declined by 0.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis. This is shown by the provisional results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
Real retail sales, also adjusted for sales and holiday effects, fell by 1.3 percent year-on-year in March 2016. The real development takes inflation into account. Compared with the previous month, real retail sales declined by 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis.
Adjusted for sales and holiday effects, retail trade (excluding service stations) recorded a 2.1 percent decline in nominal sales in March 2016 compared with March 2015 (-1.4% in real terms).
More sales of food products
Retail trade in food, beverages and tobacco recorded an increase in nominal sales of 1.5 percent (+1.6% in real terms), while the non-food sector registered a nominal decline of 5.7 percent (-3.8% in real terms).
Adjusted for seasonal effects, retail trade (excluding fuels) recorded a nominal decline in sales of 0.3 percent in March compared with the previous month (-0.4% in real terms). Retail trade in food, beverages and tobacco recorded a nominal decline in sales of 0.3 percent (-0.1% in real terms). The non-food sector registered a nominal minus of 1.6 percent (-1.6% in real terms).
The retail trade sales statistics are based on a random sample comprising around 4,000 businesses. It is a monthly survey, with small businesses surveyed quarterly for monthly sales figures. (ah)
