Oct wholesale trade sales +0.4%

Wholesale trade sales at constant (2000) prices for October grew 0.4% year-on-year (y/y) from a revised +5.1% (+5.5%) in September, Statistics South Africa data showed today, Wednesday 8 December 2010.

In addition, wholesale trade sales at constant 2000 prices for the three months ended October increased by 3.5% compared with the three months ended October 2009, while sales for the same period in 2009 decreased by 10.2%.

Seasonally adjusted wholesale trade sales for the three months ended October decreased by 0.3% compared with the three months ended July 2010.

Stats SA added that wholesale trade sales, at current prices, for October increased by 5.9% compared with October 2009, while sales for the corresponding period in 2009 decreased by 14.3%.

Wholesale trade sales, at current prices, for the three months ended October increased by 9.5% compared with the three months ended October 2009.

Stats SA noted that the major contributors to this increase were dealers in solid, liquid and gaseous fuels and related products (19.7% and contributing 3.6 percentage points) and dealers in food, beverages and tobacco (14.2% and contributing 2.4 percentage points).

Wholesale trade began the year with major losses, posting a 10.9% y/y decline in January following -5.3% in December.

The declines then slowed to -2.1% in February then lifted 1.5% in March and 1.6% in April. Wholesale trade sales have shown positive growth since March.