In November, the turnover growth of retail trade enterprises accelerated
According to Statistics Estonia, in November 2016 compared to November 2015, the turnover of retail trade enterprises increased 7% at constant prices. While in October the turnover increased 2% compared to the same month of the previous year, then in November the growth accelerated.
In November 2016, the turnover of retail trade enterprises was 533.6 million euros. The acceleration in turnover growth was influenced the most by stores selling manufactured goods, where sales increased 15% compared to November 2015. Turnover increased in all economic activities. Turnover grew the most in other specialised stores, such as stores selling computers and their accessories, books, sports equipment, games and toys etc., with sales increasing 26%. A higher-than-average increase in turnover occurred also in sales via mail order or the Internet (24%) and in stores selling pharmaceutical goods and cosmetics (19%).
The turnover of grocery stores stayed at the same level as in November 2015.
The turnover of enterprises engaging in the retail sales of automotive fuel, which showed a fall in October picked up again in November and increased 6% compared to the same month of 2015. The turnover increase of these enterprises was partly influenced by the low reference base of November 2015 and a deceleration in the price increase of automotive fuel.
Compared to October 2016, in November, the turnover of retail trade enterprises decreased 1%. According to the seasonally and working-day adjusted data, however, turnover increased 2% compared to the previous month. In the eleven months of 2016 (January–November), the turnover of retail trade enterprises increased 4% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
In 2016, to publish monthly statistics on retail trade, Statistics Estonia started to use only the VAT declaration data of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board and stopped data collection with the questionnaire “Turnover”. This will reduce the response burden of entrepreneurs and Statistics Estonia’s expenditure on data collection, and increase the use of administrative data. Due to the change in the data source, the monthly news release “Retail trade” will focus on the turnover of retail trade enterprises, instead of the retail sales of such enterprises. Statistics Estonia will continue publishing the retail sales indicator of retail trade enterprises on a quarterly and yearly basis. Statistics Estonia published the monthly summary in four working days. For the statistical activity “Economic indicators of trade enterprises”, the main representative of public interest is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia performs this statistical activity.