Volume of Sales increased in 25 among twenty-seven Federative Units, and the accumulated index in 2004 increased 9.25% in relation to 2003.

The country’s retail trade closed the year of 2004 maintaining the scenario of positive rates, registering in the relation December 04/December 03 changes of 18.76% regarding the nominal revenue of sales and 11.43% in the volume of sales. These results surpass the ones of November, respectively 11.96% and 6.23%, (Graphic 1). In the accumulated index from January to December, in relation to the same period of the previous year, the rates observed were 12.97% for the nominal revenue and 9.25% in the volume of sales.

In December, the volume of sales grew in twenty-five among 27 Federative Units, in comparison with the same month of 2003. The major rates were observed in Mato Grosso (21.35%), Mato Grosso do Sul (15.91%), Paraná (15.32%), Espírito Santo (15.26%) and Pernambuco (15.21%). The major influences in the monthly retail performance of the Country came from São Paulo (11.36%), Rio de Janeiro (7.81%), Paraná (15.32%), Minas Gerais (10.60%), Rio Grande do Sul (10.25%) and Santa Catarina (12.13%). There were falls in Roraima (-9.87%) and in Acre (-9.69%)

Still in relation to the volume of sales, among the five surveyed activities with results obtained since 2000, all of them indicated growth in the relation December 04/December 03 (Table 1), with change rates of 12.36% for Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco; 23.46% for Furniture and household appliances; 18.70% for Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and accessories; 4.89% for Textiles, apparel and footwear and 3.36% for Fuels and Lubricants (Table 1).

Among the new activities surveyed, the monthly results of the volume of sales, in December, were of 15.05% in Other articles of personal and domestic use; 10.98% for Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery; 4.15% in Construction material; 3.82% in Pharmaceuticals, medical, orthopedic, perfumery and cosmetic articles; and –9.68% for office, computer and communication equipment and materials (Table 2).

In December, the group Furniture and household appliances maintained the level of growth of the last months: its volume of sales increased 23.46% compared to the same month of 2003. This activity was favored by the improvement in the conditions of credit and total wages, as well as due to the low demand of the previous years, and became the segment with the major growth in the volume of sales in 2004: 26.37%, in relation to 2003, its first positive result of the last four years. The major increment in the business of this segment occurred in the second quarter of the year: 34.91% in relation to the same period of the previous year (Table 3).

The more favorable credit conditions were, also, one of the main factors responsible for the significant performance of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and accessories in 2004. With 18.70% of increase in the volume of sales in the relation December 04/ December 03, the activity accumulated, in the year, growth of 17.80% upon the same period of 2003, the second major growth of 2004 and its first positive result in four years.

In December, the volume of sales of Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco, contrarily to the previous month, increased above the general average of the retail sector: 12.36% in relation to the same month of 2003. Regarding the monthly indicator, it continued to be the segment with the major influence in the formation of the overall rate of the sector. In 2004 it accumulated 7.22% in relation to 2003, a result lower than the annual rate of the retail sector, 9.25%.

The activity of Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco, which is heavily dependent on the evolution of the total wages increased as improved the levels of employment and the average real income of the employed persons. Hence, the better performance in the volume of sales occurred in the last quarter of the year: 10.47% compared to the same quarter of 2003. In the four years of the Monthly Survey of Trade, it was its second annual positive performance (Table 3).

The specific group of Hypermarkets and supermarkets presented change rates in the volume of sales slightly above than those of the group as a whole. It obtained increments of 12.62% in relation to December of the previous year and 7.51% in the accumulated index of 2004 compared to 2003.

The activity Textiles, apparel and footwear closed the year increasing the rhythm of growth regarding the volume of sales, since it obtained a change rate of 4.89% compared to December of the previous year, while in November the increment was of 0.16%. The occurrence of several negative results, in the course of the year, compelled the segment to accumulate in 2004 a performance rate of 4.73%, which is almost half of the rate recorded by the retail sector. Even so, this was the highest increment obtained by the activity in the four years of the Monthly Survey of Trade. Its last positive performance occurred in 2001, when it registered 1.59% of expansion upon the previous year.

Obtaining a rate of 3.36% in the relation December 04/December 03, the segment of Fuels and lubricants was another one to show in 2004 a performance lower than the average one. The poor result verified in the last quarter of the year contributed to this since the volume of sales presented a rate of 1.54% compared to the same period of 2003 (Table 3). Influenced by increments in the prices of fuels above the general average of the inflation (17.87% against 7.60% in the accumulated index of 2004 according to the IPCA), the growth in the activity did not follow the rhythm of expansion of the retail sector, accumulating in the 12 months of the year an increase of 4.67% compared to the same period of the previous year. This rate was lower than the one of 2002 (5.64%), which had been the last annual positive result recorded by the sector.

In relation to the new activities selected in 2003, two presented in 2004 performance rates above the average of the retail trade: Other articles of personal and domestic use, with 16.25% of growth in the comparison January-December 04/January- December 03, and Office, computer and communication equipment and materials (10.07%). The segment Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic, perfumery and cosmetic articles, with 7.20% of annual change, obtained a result close to the average. Considerably below the average we can observe the rates of Construction material (2.46%) and Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-1.14%).

In December, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, states that answer, together, for almost half of the revenue of sales of the national retail, continued with different results in relation to the average: the volume of sales of São Paulo reached 11.36% in relation to December/03 and the volume of sales of Rio de Janeiro attained 7.81%. As a consequence, the distance between their accumulated rates increased in the year: 8.93% in São Paulo and 6.85% in Rio de Janeiro, in the relation between 2004 and 2003. This difference is a consequence of the performances of Fuels and lubricants and Textiles, apparel and footwear: respectively, 8.86% and 5.47% in São Paulo and –0.76% and –1.93% in Rio de Janeiro.