Retail sales kept Finnish trade afloat in July

Trade in Finland ended July with positive results, both in terms of sales and turnover compared to one year before.

According to Statistics Finland, the working day adjusted turnover of total trade grew by 1.1% in July compared to July 2018. The development of turnover was positive in all industries of trade.

However, the working day adjusted sales volume of total trade, from which the impact of price changes has been eliminated, increased by 0.9 per cent over the same period. The weaker development of sales volume than turnover in wholesale trade and daily consumer goods trade is due to a rise in prices.

In motor vehicle trade, the working day adjusted turnover increased by 1% in July and the sales volume also by 1.1% from one year ago.

In wholesale trade, the working day adjusted turnover grew by 0.4%, whereas the sales volume of the industry decreased by 0.1%.

The working day adjusted turnover of retail trade grew by 2.1% and the sales volume, in turn, by 2.3% from July of the previous year. Among retail trade industries, turnover grew in daily consumer goods, department store and specialised store trade.

Decrease compared to June

However, the figures show a weaker development compared to the previous month. The seasonally adjusted turnover of total trade went down by 0.5% in July 2019 compared to June. The sales volume also decreased by 0.7% over the same period. In June, turnover and sales volume grew by over 1% compared to May.

In January to July, the working day adjusted turnover of total trade increased by 1.3% and the sales volume by 0.4% from the corresponding period of 2018.