Eustat

Press release 14/05/2010

DOMESTIC TRADE INDEX (ICI) 1st quarter 2010

Retail sector sales rose by 6.5% in the Basque Country in the first quarter of 2010

Wholesale sales were up by 7.1% and retail sales by 5.3%

The retail trade sector of the Basque Country registered a 6.5% rise in nominal sales in the first quarter of 2010 with regard to the same period of the previous year, according to Eustat data.

With respect to the previous quarter, the sales index increased by a nominal 4.3%, once any seasonal effects had been eliminated.

By sectors, wholesale trade nominal sales rose by 7.1% in the first quarter of 2010, while retail trade was up by 5.3% with regard to the same period of 2009.

Within the wholesale trade sector, the performance of the Semi-finished Products and Scraps sector was particularly noteworthy as it posted nominal growth of 22.2%. The Non-Food Consumer Products sector also grew and registered a 0.4% increase. However, the Machinery and Equipment sector fell by 10.0% and the nominal sales of Farming and Food Products were down by 3.0%.

In the retail trade sector, specialised trade sales were up by 7.6%, which non-specialised retail trade sales rose by 0.8%.

By Provinces, the highest growth in retail sector nominal sales, in the first quarter of 2010, was in Gipuzkoa, with a 8.9% year-on-year increase. Bizkaia increased its nominal saes by 5.7% and Álava by 4.8%.



In real terms, domestic trade sales rose by 6.3% in the fourth quarter after eliminating the price effect.

The rise in wholesale trade stood at 7.6%, which retail trade increased by 4.4%, with respect to the same quarter of 2009 and in constant prices.

Year-on-year performances varied within the wholesale trade: sales of Semi-finished Products and Scrap rose by 21.3% and Non-Food consumer Products also posted positive real growth (2.4%). However, Faming and Food Products fell by 2.7% and Machinery and Tools sales were down by 7.7%, both in real terms.

With regard to retail trade, specialised retail sales rose by 5.7% and non-specialised ones were up by 0.9%, in constant euros.

The number of people employed in the retail trade sector in the Basque Country overall in the first quarter of 2010 was up by 0.4% on the fourth quarter of 2009.

For further information:

Euskal Estatistika-Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
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
Further press releases about ICI - Domestic Trade Index
Data bank on Domestic Trade Index