Retail Earnings Dropped in May

Retail turnover in May decreased to 0.6 percent from the same period last year. Retail volume was reduced by 3.0 percent while retail costs increased by 2.5 percent. bertknot/flickr The shopping-day pattern was more positive in May 2013 compared to May 2012, resulting to total retail earnings of about 2 percent. Meanwhile, the non-food sector’s income fell by almost 4 percent in May while retail volume cut down by over 5 percent. The drop turnover affected every branch of the non-food sector, most especially consumer electronics stores and DIY shops. In May, food, drinks and tobacco stores had a 5 percent revenue growth compared to last year. The main reason behind the growth is the raise of over 4 percent in the average price. On the other hand, volume growth was almost 1 percent, mostly brought by supermarkets. Mail-order companies and online shops’ turnover growth was 11 percent. Source: Statistics Netherlands