Turnover in retail trade, March 2024
Retail sales volume decreased in March 2024
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2024-04-29 8.00
The retail sales volume decreased by 0.4 percent in March 2024 compared with February 2024. Retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget, the state-owned chain of liquor stores) decreased by 0.3 percent while retail sales in durables decreased by 0.4 percent. These figures are working-day and seasonally adjusted and calculated in fixed prices.
In the last three-month period (January-March), sales volume in working-day and seasonally adjusted figures increased by 0.3 percent compared with the previous three-month period (October-December). Retail sales in durables remained unchanged while retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget) decreased by 0.2 percent.
In March, the year-on-year growth rate in the volume of retail sales was positive 1.1 percent in working-day adjusted figures. Retail sales in durables increased by 2.1 percent and retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget) increased by 0.7 percent.
In fixed prices and non-working-day adjusted figures, total retail trade increased by 0.7 percent in volume compared with the corresponding period a year ago. Retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget) increased by 5.0 percent while retail sales in durables decreased by 3.0 percent.
Turnover in retail trade measured in current prices increased by 1.8 percent in March 2024 compared with March 2023. Retail sales in durables decreased by 1.0 percent while retail sales in consumables (excluding Systembolaget) increased by 4.7 percent.
To consider:
When the reference month January 2024 is published, the base year is changed to 2021. This means that the average of the monthly indices in 2021 is 100 (index 2021=100).
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 April 1991 and forward.
Information about major revisions is published on the product page: Turnover in the service sector.
Next publishing will be
Statistics concerning April 2024 will be published on 29 May 2024.
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.