Retail Sales Decrease 0.3% In December 2017
After adjusting for the retail sales rate of inflation – measured at 2.5% in December – the overall volume of retail sales decreased 0.3%, according to the recently released Retail Sales Index.
“Five of the seven retail sectors recorded declines in sales volume with apparel stores recording the largest decrease of 3.8%. The next largest sales volume decreases were for liquor and food store sales which declined by 3.5 and 2.3%, respectively,” the report said.
Chart extracted from the report:
“In value terms, retail sales increased 2.3% to an estimated $111.3 million. Returning residents declared overseas purchases valued at $7.3 million, which was 12.3% higher than December 2016. This contributed to a combined local and overseas spending of $118.6 million.
“Excluding Sundays, there were 24 shopping days during the month, one less than in December 2016.”
The full 2017 December Retail Sales Index is below [PDF here]:
