Turnover in retail trade, March 2021
Retail sales volume increased in March 2021
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2021-04-28 9.30
The retail sales volume increased by 2.6 percent in March 2021 compared with February 2021. Retail sales in durables increased by 1.1 percent and retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget, the state-owned chain of liquor stores) increased by 0.2 percent. These figures are working-day and seasonally adjusted and in fixed prices.
In the last three-month period (January-March), sales volumes in working-day and seasonally adjusted figures increased by 4.1 percent compared with the previous three-month period (October-December). Retail sales in durables increased by 6.7 percent, while retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget) increased by 0.7 percent.
In March, the year-on-year growth rate in the volume of retail sales was 9.1 percent in working-day adjusted figures. Retail sales in durables increased by 19.9 percent, while retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget) decreased by 4.6 percent.
“Year-on-year growth rates in the volume of retail sales is largely explained by the altered purchasing behaviour in March a year ago at the outbreak of the pandemic. Last year, Swedes hoarded groceries and spent less on durables, which explains the downturn in consumables and the upturn in durables,” says Jeongwon Kim, statistician at Statistic Sweden.
In fixed prices and in non-working-day adjusted figures, total retail trade increased by 11.8 percent in volume compared with the corresponding period a year ago. Retail sales in durables increased by 20.6 percent, while retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget) decreased by 0.7 percent.
Turnover in retail trade measured in current prices increased by 12.3 percent in March 2021 compared with March 2020. Retail sales in durables increased by 21.2 percent, while retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget) decreased by 0.1 percent.
Definitions and explanations
Total retail trade here refers to NACE 47 excluding 47.3.
Trade in consumables (excluding Systembolaget) here refers to NACE 47.11 and 47.2. excluding 47.25.
Trade in durables here refers to NACE 47.19 and 47.4–47.9.
Revisions
When the Retail Trade Index is published for a new month, the indices for previous months are also revised if new information has been added. As from April 2015, a new method is used to calculate the final statistics. The new method mainly involves using administrative data from the Swedish Tax Agency on a quarterly basis to increase the number of companies that are surveyed. This means that final quarterly statistics are based on a total calculation for all the companies in the frame population. Administrative data is used every quarter with the aim to improve the quality of the Retail Trade Index and decrease the response burden.
Usually, the material is revised between two and four months backwards, depending on where in the quarter the reference month is located. In connection with the publication of the first and second month in a quarter, the entire previous quarter is revised. The series, corrected for working day and seasonal effects and trend estimates, is always revised from February 1991 and forward.
Information about major revisions is published on the product page: Turnover in the service sector.
Next publishing will be
Data concerning April 2021 will be published on 28 May 2021.
Statistical Database
More information is available in the Statistical Database
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.