The decline in retail sales in Slovakia deepened further in September. The Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) reported that retail sales in September fell by 1.7 percent, compared to a 0.9-percent fall in August, the SITA newswire wrote.
In financial terms, the volume of retail sales in September reached €1.525 billion. For the first three quarters of this year, retail sales totalled €13.123 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 0.3 percent. Monthly retail sales in September compared to August fell by 0.4 percent, the SITA newswire reported, citing the ŠÚ data. The annualised development of retail sales was influenced by lower sales in retail trade of other household equipment in specialised outlets by 5.6 percent, in retail trade of other goods in specialised outlets by 3.6 percent, in retail sales outside stores, stalls or markets by 3.3 percent, and in retail sale of motor fuels in specialised outlets by 2.5 percent. Sales in non-specialised outlets grew by 0.9 percent.
Retail sales in Slovakia have been declining for three years. The sector has suffered from the impact of the economic crisis as well as from shopping tourism, resulting in 2009 in a year-on-year drop in retail sales of over 10 percent. Retail sales fell again in the following two years, in 2011 by 2.8 percent.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
