Retail sales in July rose by 5.5 percent year on year after adjusting for calendar effects, in June, according to revised data, they rose by 6.7 percent. They increased for the fifth month in a row, with higher sales of goods via the Internet or mail order services accounting for the largest share during the first holiday month. This resulted from data from the Czech Statistical Office (CSO). In a month-on-month comparison, seasonally adjusted sales of traders were half a percent higher, and without adjustments, they increased by 3.1 percent year-on-year.
“The biggest impact on retail growth was online sales, which were 15.3 percent higher than last year. On the other hand, lower sales were recorded in stores with products for culture, sports and recreation and clothing and footwear stores, where sales decreased by more than two percent, “said Marie Boušková, director of the CZSO services statistics department.
Revenues from non-food products increased by 9.6 percent compared to last July, from fuels by 5.3 percent, and from food by 0.1 percent. This July had two working days less than last year.
In addition to e-shop operators, double-digit sales growth was also recorded by traders in computer and communication equipment, who earned almost 12 percent more year-on-year. Stores with household products improved by 5.2 percent and with cosmetics and toiletries by approximately 2.2 percent. On the other hand, pharmaceutical and medical goods, clothing, footwear and products for culture, sports and recreation were sold less in the first half of the holidays.
Sales and repairs of motor vehicles increased by calendar-adjusted sales by 4.4 percent year-on-year, while unadjusted sales decreased by 2.6 percent. Sales of cars, including spare parts, fell by 1.8 percent and car repairs by 5.5 percent.