Press release No. 141 of 28 April 2017
WIESBADEN – According to provisional results of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the price-adjusted (real) turnover of the retail enterprises in Germany was 2.3% higher in March 2017 than in the same month of a year earlier, while in nominal terms (that is, not price-adjusted) it was 4.2% higher. In March 2017, stores were open on 27 days, that is, two days more than in March 2016. This year, Easter fell in April, while last year it was in March.
As of March 2017, a larger online retail enterprise, which established a branch in Germany in May 2015, has been included in the statistics of retail trade. This has a major impact both on online retail data and on total retail data. To reflect more adequately the economic development of German retail enterprises, the results as of May 2015 have been recalculated. This allows full comparability between the results for March 2017 to May 2016 with the relevant months of the previous year. However, it also leads to considerable revisions of results published earlier. Due to the revision, the year-on-year change rate of real turnover of total retail trade in 2016 rose to 2.6% (previously: 1.8%) and that of nominal turnover to 2.9% (previously: 2.3%). The year-on-year change rate of real turnover of 2015 increased to 3.8% (previously: 2.5%). The year-on-year change rate of nominal turnover, too, was up to 3.8% (previously: 2.6%).
More detailed information is available on the website of the Federal Statistical Office, and more specifically, on the retail statistics pages.
Retail turnover of food, beverages and tobacco in March 2017 rose a price-adjusted 0.6%, and a nominal 2.5%, on March 2016. In supermarkets, hypermarkets and consumer markets, turnover was a price-adjusted 0.8%, and a nominal 2.7%, higher than in the same month a year earlier. Retail turnover of food in specialised stores fell a price-adjusted 2.2%, and a nominal 0.6%, on March 2016.
Retail turnover of products other than food was a price-adjusted 3.8%, and a nominal 5.4%, higher than in the same month a year earlier.
The largest increase was observed for retail trade of home furnishings, household appliances and builders' ware. Compared with the same month of the previous year, the relevant turnover in March 2017 was up a price-adjusted 10.0% and a nominal 9.2%.
German retail turnover in the first three months of 2017 was up a price-adjusted 0.8%, and a nominal 2.9%, on the same period of the previous year.
When calendar and seasonally adjusted (Census X-12-ARIMA method), the turnover in March 2017 was a price-adjusted 0.1% higher, and a nominal 0.1% lower, than in February 2017.
Methodological notes:
Delayed data deliveries by responding enterprises make it necessary to revise the initial results.
Results on retail turnover for the current month in a detailed breakdown by economic activity, including the data received from enterprises after the publication of this press release, will be available in the GENESIS-Online database in about two weeks. Information on current additional data will be made available via RSS newsfeed.