Retail sales increase by NOK 7 billion

Retail sales excluding motor vehicles and petrol increased by NOK 7 billion or 8.2 per cent in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year.

The index of retail sales shows the same change. Total sales of retailers came to nearly NOK 92 billion in the first half of 1998.

Sales of other new goods (including clothing, shoes, electrical goods, furniture, hardware, paints and building materials) increased by NOK 3.5 billion or 10 per cent in the first half of this year. Stores selling pharmaceuticals, medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries increased sales by 10.4 per cent during the same period. Non-specialized retailers (mostly grocery stores) and specialized retailers of food, beverages and tobacco increased sales by 7.1 and 4.9 per cent respectively. Mail order and other non-store retail sales went up 3.5 per cent in the first half of 1998 compared to the first half of 1997.

New Statistics
Index of retail sales, October 1998:
The statistics are published bimonthly in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. For more information contact: Solveig.Nygardseter@ssb.no., tel. +47 62 88 51 74, or Liv.Reidun.Sletmoen@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 49, 1998