Wholesale and retail trade, structural statistics, 2001, preliminary figures

Enterprises within the industry wholesale and retail trade have increased their turnover by NOK 6.6 billion, 0.7 per from 2000 to 2001, and in 2001 the turnover came to NOK 871.6 billion.

The modest growth in these enterprises is due to structural changes. These changes imply that several enterprises and thus several employees and turnover have been transferred from wholesale and retail trade to other enterprise industries.

Decline in employment within commercial agency and wholesale

The number of employees in these industries, excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles, declined by more than 2 000 persons or 2 per cent in 2001 compared with 2000. A growth of 359 enterprises was, however, recorded for the same period. Retail trade employed about 2 400 more persons in 2001 than in 2000, and the number of enterprises increased by about 100. This corresponds to an increase of 1.3 and 0.3 per cent respectively. Corresponding figures for trade with, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles and retail trade with fuel for motor vehicles and motorcycles show a 0.3 growth in employment and 2.6 per cent growth in number of enterprises.

The once-and-for all expense on motor vehicles was changed on the 1 April 2001 from an import duty to a tax paid when the car is registered. Some of the decline in turnover within commercial agency and wholesale is due to this change.

Preliminary figures

Preliminary figures for structure statistics are only published on enterprise level. Figures for enterprises will mostly show different values than figures for local kind-of-activity units. The reason is that enterprises that are registered with main activity in one industry may have local kind-of-activity units with activity in other industries.

Only figures for number of enterprises, employees and turnover are published on a 3-digit industry level. The data are not as thoroughly revised, as they will be at the publishing of final figures in June 2003.

Tables:

• Table 1 Principal figures for enterprises, by industry group. Final figures 2000 and preliminary figures 2001