Home > Statistics > Turnover of trade > 2016 > March > Retail trade flash estimate: sales fell by 0.3 per cent year-on-year in March

Published: 26 April 2016

Retail trade flash estimate: sales fell by 0.3 per cent year-on-year in March

According to Statistics Finland’s retail trade flash estimate, the sales of retail trade decreased by 0.3 per cent in March from March 2015. Over the same period, the volume of retail trade sales, from which the impact of prices has been eliminated, grew by 1.4 per cent. In daily consumer goods trade, sales grew by 2.4 per cent and the sales volume by 3.6 per cent in March from the corresponding period of the previous year. Turnover developed weaker than sales volume both in retail trade and in daily consumer goods trade due to fallen prices.

Development of value and volume of retail trade sales, March 2016, % (TOL 2008)

The reported annual changes in trade sales and sales volumes are not seasonally or trading day adjusted, which means that the effects of public holidays are not considered. In March, the development of sales was partly due to Easter being in March this year, while last year it was in April. The fact that Easter occurs in different months is in particular visible in the sales development of food during March and April. In addition, the development of retail trade was in March to April affected by sales campaigns being arranged in a different month than last year. The opening hours of retail shops were deregulated starting from 1 January 2016, after which some retail shops have extended their opening hours.

According to the Structural business and financial statement statistics, daily consumer goods accounted for 48.9 per cent of turnover in retail trade in 2014.

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 13 May 2016.

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.

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. Development of value and volume of retail trade sales, March 2016, (TOL 2008) (26.4.2016)

Revisions in these statistics

• Revisions in these statistics (26.4.2016)

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Updated 26.04.2016