SA retail trade sales up 2.8%

15 May 2013

Retail trade sales measured in constant (2012) prices increased 2.8% year-on-year (y/y) in March from an upwardly revised 3.9% (3.8%) y/y increase in February‚ figures from Statistics SA showed on Wednesday, 15 May 2013.

Retail trade sales were expected to have increased by 2.9% y/y‚ according to a survey of leading economists by I-Net Bridge.

Forecasts among the 10 economists polled ranged from 1.1% to 5.0%.

Measured in real terms‚ seasonally adjusted retail trade sales fell by 0.9% in March compared with February.

This followed month-on-month changes of 2.0% in February and -1.1% in January.

The highest annual growth rates were recorded for retailers in hardware‚ paint and glass‚ with 4.4%; retailers in textiles‚ clothing‚ footwear and leather goods‚ with 3.8%; general dealers‚ with 3.6%; and all 'other' retailers‚ with 3.3%.

The main contributors to the 2.8% increase were general dealers‚ contributing 1.4 percentage points; retailers in textiles‚ clothing‚ footwear and leather goods‚ contributing 0.7 of a percentage point; and all 'other' retailers contributing 0.4 of a percentage point.

Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales increased by 0.6% in the first quarter of this year compared with the previous quarter.

Retail trade sales increased by 3.0% in the first quarter of this year compared with the first quarter of last year.

The main contributors to this increase were retailers in textiles‚ clothing‚ footwear and leather goods‚ with 7.3% and contributing 1.4 percentage points; and general dealers‚ with 3.0% and contributing 1.2 percentage points.

Source: I-Net Bridge

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