Home > Statistics > Turnover of trade > 2014 > March > Retail trade flash estimate: sales fell by 1.5 per cent year-on-year in March

Published: 25 April 2014

Retail trade flash estimate: sales fell by 1.5 per cent year-on-year in March

According to Statistics Finland’s retail trade flash estimate, the sales of retail trade decreased by 1.5 per cent in March from March 2013. Over the same time period, the volume of sales, from which the impact of prices has been eliminated, went down by 1.9 per cent. The fall in retail trade was especially caused by daily consumer goods trade where sales contracted by 3.8 per cent in March. Correspondingly, the volume of sales in daily consumer goods trade decreased by 4.7 per cent year-on-year.

Development of value and volume of retail trade sales, March 2014, % (TOL 2008)

The decrease in sales was partly due to Easter being in April this year, while last year it was at the turn of March and April. The fact that Easter occurs in different months is in particular visible in the sales development of food during March and April. There were 26 weekday trading days ¹⁾ in March 2014, which is one day more than in March 2013.

According to the Business Register, the share of daily consumer goods of turnover in retail trade was 47.6 per cent in 2012.

The retail trade flash estimate is based on a sample covering, on the average, 60 per cent of retail trade turnover. Data on trade sales by industry will next be released on 14 May 2014.

Flash estimates on retail trade are published at a lag of just under one month from the end of the statistical reference month. The preliminary data on motor vehicle, wholesale and retail trade based on a larger sample will be published at a lag of roughly six weeks from the end of the statistical reference month and the revised data based on total data are published at a lag of roughly ten weeks.

1) Weekday trading days refer to the weekdays of a calendar month (Monday to Saturday) excluding mid-week holidays.

Source: Turnover of trade, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Jarkko Niemistö 09 1734 2951, Tiina Talvio 09 1734 2698, palvelut.suhdanne@stat.fi

Director in charge: Hannele Orjala

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Development of value and volume of retail trade sales, March 2014, (TOL 2008) (25.4.2014)

Revisions in these statistics

• Revisions in these statistics (25.4.2014)

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Updated 25.4.2014