Index of retail sales, July 1997:

Four per cent increase in retail sales

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The volume of retail sales climbed 4.1 per cent in July this year compared to July last year. The seasonally adjusted volume index for July is 1.8 per cent under June, but is still the second highest this year. Retail sales in this context always exclude motor vehicles and gasoline.

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The turnover of specialized stores selling other new goods (including clothing, footwear, electrical goods, furniture, hardware, paint and building materials) was 6.8 per cent higher in July compared to the same month last year. Retail sales of pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries grew 4.6 per cent and retail sales of non-specialized stores increased 2.1 per cent. Sales of food, beverages and tobacco in specialized stores rose 0.3 per cent in volume, while mail order and other non-store sales dropped 1.1 per cent.

New Statistics

Index of retail sales, July 1997.
Statistics are published every month in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. More information: Solveig Nygårdseter, tel. +47 62 88 51 74, e-mail: snl@ssb.no or Rune Sønsterudbråten, tel. +47 62 88 54 37, e-mail: rso@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 37, 1997