Home > Statistics > Turnover of trade > 2015 > December > Christmas sales in retail trade went up by 1.6 per cent from one year ago

Published: 15 February 2016

Christmas sales in retail trade went up by 1.6 per cent from one year ago

According to Statistics Finland, retail trade sales increased by 1.6 per cent in December 2015 from December 2014. Growth came both from daily consumer goods trade and department store trade: in daily consumer goods trade sales increased by 0.2 per cent and in department store trade by 1.2 per cent. In December, motor vehicle trade also grew from one year ago and sales was 8.2 per cent higher than in December 2014. In wholesale trade, sales, in turn, declined by 2.8 per cent year-on-year, which also pushed total trade sales down by 0.2 per cent.

Annual change in turnover in trade industries, % (TOL 2008)

Volume of sales grew in all sectors of trade in December apart from wholesale trade

The volume of retail trade sales grew by 3.1 per cent in December from December 2014. Among the sectors of trade, sales volume increased most in the motor vehicle trade, by 7.8 per cent from one year earlier. The growth was affected by increased sales of new motor vehicles, because Statistics Finland’s data indicate that the number of first registrations of motor vehicles was also 18.1 per cent higher in December than in December 2014. In wholesale trade, the sales volume was nearly on the same level as in December 2014, declining by 0.1 per cent. The volume of total sales grew by 1.9 per cent from one year earlier.

The volume index of sales is calculated by removing the effect of price changes from the value index series. Due to fallen prices, the sales volume developed more favourably than turnover in all sectors of trade apart from motor vehicle trade.

In total trade, sales fell by 2.6 per cent in 2015 from 2014

In January to December 2015, retail trade sales declined by 0.7 per cent from January to December 2014. In wholesale trade, the decline in the corresponding period was 4.6 per cent. Motor vehicle trade was the only sector of trade where sales increased in 2015, by 2.0 per cent from 2014. Thus, in total trade, sales decreased by 2.6 per cent in 2015 compared to 2014.

Annual changes in trade sales and sales volumes are given unadjusted for seasonal variation. Annual changes particularly in retail trade may be affected by the number of weekday trading days. There were 25 weekday trading days in December 2015, which is one day more than in December 2014. 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: Milka Suomalainen 029 551 2912, Seija Karttunen 029 551 2741, palvelut.suhdanne@stat.fi

Director in charge: Mari Ylä-Jarkko

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Year-on-year change in turnover in trade industries, % (TOL 2008) (15.2.2016)

Figures

• Appendix figure 1. Turnover of motor vehicles, wholesale and retail trade, trend series (TOL 2008) (15.2.2016)

Revisions in these statistics

• Revisions in these statistics (15.2.2016)

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Updated 15.02.2016