Eustat

Press release 12/02/2010

DOMESTIC TRADE INDEX (ICI) 4th quarter 2009

Retail sector sales fell 5.1% in the Basque Country in the fourth quarter of 2009

The drop in sales for 2009 overall was 13.9% in nominal terms

The trade sector of the Basque Country registered a 5.1% drop in nominal sales in the fourth quarter of 2009 with respect to the same period of the previous year, according to Eustat data.

The sales index increased by a nominal 1.1%, with respect to the previous quarter, once any seasonal effects have been eliminated.

By sectors, wholesale trade nominal sales fell by 6.7% in the fourth quarter of 2009, while retail ones fell by 2.3% with regard to the same period of 2008.

The negative performance of Machinery and Tools within the wholesale trade sector was particularly noteworthy as it posted a nominal fall of 17.5%. Semi-finished Products and Scrap was down by 7.3%, while the sales of Non-Food Consumer Products posted a 3.6% drop in nominal terms and Farming and Food Products fell by 0.4%.

In the retail trade sector, the specialised trade sales were down by 2.4%, which non-specialised retail trade sales fell by 2.1%.

By provinces, the greatest drop, in the fourth quarter of 2009, in retail sector nominal sales was in Bizkaia, with a 6.6% year-on-year decrease, while nominal sales fell by 4.1% in Álava and 2.6% in Gipuzkoa.



In real terms, domestic trade sales fell by 0.9% in the fourth quarter after eliminating the price effect.

The drop in wholesale trade stood at 0.4%, which retail trade fell by 1.5%, with respect to the same quarter of 2008 and in constant prices.

Year-on-year performances varied within the wholesale trade: sales of Semi-finished Products and Scrap rose by 4.2% and Agriculture and Food Products also posted positive real growth (1.3%). However, Non-Food Consumer Goods fell by 0,5% and Machinery and Tools sales were down by 11,5%, both in real terms.

With regard to retail trade, non-specialised retail sales fell by 2.1% and specialised retails ones by 1.4%.

The number of people employed in the commercial sector in the Basque Country overall in the fourth quarter of 2009 was down by 0.9% on the third quarter of 2009.

2009 ANNUAL BALANCE

Domestic trade sales for the year overall posted an accumulated nominal decrease of 13.9%. By provinces, the best performance was recorded by Gipuzkoa, with a decrease of 9.8% for the year as a whole, while sales fell in Bizkaia by 14.9% and by 18.0% in Álava, all in nominal rates.

In real terms, the sector overall posted a drop of 8.9% for the Basque Country, with 5.2% for Gipuzkoa, 10.0% for Bizkaia and 11.5% for Álava.

The accumulated fall in employment in the commercial sector in 2009 compared to the average for the previous year was 3.5% and was reflected provincially as follows: it was down by 5.5% in Álava, 3.7% in Bizkaia and 2.3% in Gipuzkoa.

Methodological note: The adaptation to the new European classification (NACE Rev 2) and its national version (CNAE-09) has led to changes to the Domestic Trade Index. The most important aspect is the retail sale of fuels for cars in specialised establishments (service stations) being included in the Retail Trade sub-sector.

For further information:

Basque Statistics Office
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es
Contact: Gerardo Pérez Aja
T el:+34-945-01 75 06 F ax:+34-945-01 75 01
Online press releases: www.eustat.es
Databank: www.eustat.es/bancopx/english/indice.asp