According to Statistics Finland, the working day adjusted turnover of total trade grew by 1.2% in August compared to August 2018.
The working day adjusted sales volume, from which the impact of price changes has been eliminated, also increased by 1.3% over the same period. Both turnover and sales volume grew in all industries of trade apart from wholesale trade.
In retail trade, the working day adjusted turnover increased altogether by 4.5% in August. Among its industries, growth was fastest in department store and specialised store trade. The turnover in department store trade was 7% and that in specialised store trade 5.8% higher than one year earlier.
The sales volume of these industries also developed favourably. In daily consumer goods trade, turnover grew, in turn, by 3.3% and the sales volume by 1%.
Motor vehicle trade also grew by close on 1% in August. By contrast, the working day adjusted turnover and sales volume of wholesale trade both decreased by around half a per cent from one year ago.
Month-on-month evolution
The seasonally adjusted turnover and sales volume of total trade both grew slightly by 0.1% in August compared to July. In July, turnover remained on the same level with the previous month and the sales volume went down by 0.2% over the same period.
In January to August, the working day adjusted turnover of total trade increased by 1.3% and the sales volume by 0.5% from the corresponding period of 2018.