Retail Sales Volume Falls By 8.1%

The volume of retail sales, excluding price effects, decreased by 8.1% in November 2008 compared to November 2007.

There was a monthly decrease of 1.2%. If Motor Trades are excluded there was an annual decrease of 7.8% and the monthly change was -1.9%.

The value of retail sales decreased by 6.8% in November 2008 compared to November 2007 and decreased by 1.2% in the month. However, if Motor Trades are excluded, the annual decrease was 5.6% and the monthly change was -1.2%.

The annual change in the volume of Retail Sales is the largest decrease since February 1984. When Motor Trades are excluded from Retail Sales the annual change in the volume figures is the largest decrease since April 1975.

The three-month August 2008 - October 2008 volume figures show that, compared with the three months ending July 2008, the largest increase in the volume of sales was in the Other Retail Sales sector (up 1.2%). The largest decrease in volume of sales was in the Hardware, Paints and Glass sector (down 10.9%).