Statistics on trade inventories

The statistics on trade inventories describe the current priced values of the inventories of trade enterprises by industry. The statistics are compiled from data on individual enterprises. Enterprises are inquired quarterly about the value of their inventories at the end of the quarter concerned. The values of inventories are asked by type of inventory: materials and supplies, fuels and lubricants, unfinished work, finished products and merchandise. The values of inventories by industry calculated from the sample are raised to correspond with the values of the inventories of the whole population (enterprises whose industry is trade) using the latest turnover data available from the financial statement statistics on enterprises. The calculation is based on the assumption that the ratio between the values of turnover and inventories is constant within the industry.