Wholesale trade sales up 8.7 y/y in January

Wholesale trade sales rose 8.7% year on year in January compared with 6.4% year on year in December‚ Statistics SA data showed on Thursday. Sales were measured in real terms using constant 2012 prices.

Seasonally adjusted wholesale trade sales increased 2.8% in January 2014 after falling 0.9% in December and rising 1.0% in November 2013.

Seasonally adjusted wholesale trade sales increased 2.0% in the three months ended January 2014 compared with the previous three months.

Measured in nominal terms‚ using current prices‚ wholesale trade sales increased 16.1% in January 2014 compared with January 2013.

The major contributors to this increase were dealers in solid‚ liquid and gaseous fuels and related products (16.9% and contributing 4.2 percentage points); machinery‚ equipment and supplies (20.1% and contributing 2.8 percentage points); and food‚ beverages and tobacco (9.4% and contributing 1.4 percentage points).

Wholesale trade sales increased 13.4% in the three months ended January 2014 compared with the three months ended January 2013.

The major contributors were dealers in solid‚ liquid and gaseous fuels and related products; machinery‚ equipment and supplies; and food‚ beverages and tobacco.