Retail sales in the Czech Republic have fallen year-on-year for seven consecutive months. The decline slowed to 8.7 percent in November last year from 9.9 percent in October. However, sales increased only in stores selling cosmetics and toiletries. This is according to revised data from the Czech Statistical Office (CSO). In the month-on-month comparison, sales decreased by 0.3 percent.
“The year-on-year decline in retail sales continued in November. Compared to the previous month, however, the decline eased in fuel and non-food goods sales, while the decline in food sales deepened,” said Jana Gotvaldová, head of the CSO’s statistics department for trade, transport, and services.
Sales of non-food goods fell by 9.6 percent in November, food by 9.2 percent, and fuel by 2.1 percent.
Sales in drugstores increased by 2.8 percent compared to November last year. “The other major assortment types of non-food specialty stores reported a decline in sales. Pharmaceutical and medical stores, which had seen year-on-year sales growth in the previous 19 months, also saw a decline,” said Marie Boušková, director of the CSO’s trade statistics department.
Pharmacies earned 5.8 percent less year-on-year. Sales at household goods stores fell 12 percent, electronics stores 8.4 percent, and clothing and footwear stores 5.1 percent.
“Food sales fell 13.6 percent in specialty stores and nine percent in non-specialty stores dominated by food. In non-specialty stores with a predominance of non-food items, sales increased by 2.9 percent,” the statisticians added. Internet and mail-order sales fell 9.8 percent.
The sales figure excludes motor vehicle sales and repairs. Sales for these activities fell 1.7 percent year-on-year in November but rose 0.8 percent from October. In sub-numbers, spending on motor vehicle sales, including parts, fell marginally by 0.1 percent compared with November a year earlier, while expenditures for repairs declined by 7.3 percent.