Also in relation to February, nominal revenue increased by 0.19% in the series with seasonal adjustment.

Retail trade of the Country had rates of -0.10% for the volume of sales and 0.19% for the nominal revenue, in the relation March/February with seasonal adjustment.  In the other comparisons, obtained from the series without seasonal adjustment, the rates for the volume of sales were 3.01%, compared to March /05; 5.04%, in the accumulated index of the first quarter and 4.73%, in the accumulated index of the last 12 months.  The nominal revenue had rates of 5.68% in relation to the same month of 2005; 7.78% in the relation January-March 06/January-March 05; and 9.15% in the accumulated index of the last 12 months. (Tables 1 and 2).

The change of -0.10% in the volume of sales in March, indicates stability in retail trade in relation to the previous month. Still in the analysis of the adjusted series, calculated for four among eight activities that form the sector, positive results were recorded by Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (0.70%) and Furniture and household appliances (0.03%).  Textiles, apparel and footwear (-3.06%) and Fuels and lubricants (-3.10%) had negative results.  The segment of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and accessories, which is included in the extended retail trade, had a positive rate of 0.36% compared to the previous month.

In the relation March 06/ March 05, six among eight retail activities had increase in the volume of sales: Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (3.51%); Furniture and household appliances (11.03%); Office, computer and communication equipment (30.90%); Other articles of personal and domestic use (3.80%); Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles  (4.00%) and Textiles, apparel and footwear (0.84%).  The negative changes occurred in Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery articles (-0.06%) and in Fuels and lubricants (-9.26%).

In March/06, the activity of Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco, which has the major participation in the Monthly Survey of Trade, registered change of 3.51%. The volume of sales accumulated in the first three months of the year increased by 5.19%, in relation to the same period of 2005, and the index accumulated of the last 12 months was 2.99%.  The performance of March occurred due to the improvement in the level of employment and real average income in relation to March /05, as indicated by the Monthly Employment Survey (PME).  Nevertheless, this result was the lowest obtained in the quarter, due to the base period effect which was produced by the displacement of celebration of Easter's, from March, in 2005, to April, in 2006.

The segment of Furniture and household appliances brought, in March, the second major impact to trade sales.  In relation to March of the previous year, the segment registered change of 11.03% in  volume of sales, showing mainly the favorable conditions to consumer credit and loans charged through salary accounts.  In the index accumulated of the first quarter of 2006, in relation to the same period of the previous year, the increase was 11.06% and in the index accumulated of the last 12 months, 14.44%.

Still in March, in relation to the same month of the previous year, the activity Office, computer and communication equipment had increase of 30.90% in the volume of sales .  In the accumulated indexes of the year and of the last 12 months the increases were of 55.38% and 62.64%, respectively.  Besides the better credit conditions and loans charged through salary accounts, also contributed to this result the raise of the value of the Brazilian currency (real) in relation to the dollar, which is turning computer and other imported products cheaper, as mentioned in the reports of the previous months.

The activity Other articles of personal and domestic use, which aggregates segments such as  department stores, glasses’ shops, sporting goods stores, toy stores, etc. is also affected by favorable consumer credit conditions and  had 3.80% of change in the volume of sales in March in relation to the same month of the 2005.  Regarding accumulated results, the rates of growth were of 12.51% and 14.23% in the first quarter of the year and in the last 12 months, respectively.

Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles obtained increment of 4.00% in the volume of sales in March, in relation to the same period of the previous year.  In the first quarter and in the last 12 months the accumulated results were 5.67% and 7.16%, respectively.

Still in the relation March 06/March 05, the activity Textiles, apparel and footwear, with increment of 0.84%, obtained the lowest rate in the last eight months. This result occurred due to the fact  that end-of-season sales is over and due to the entrance of a new collection with higher prices.  In accumulated terms, the changes were 4.93% in the first quarter and 6.50% in the last 12 months.

The activities Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery articles, with change of -0.06%, and Fuels and lubricants (-9.26%) presented negative results in the volume of sales, in the relation March 06/ March 05.  The reductions of volume of sales of Fuels and lubricants in the first quarter of the year (-8.23%) and in the last 12 months (-8.05%) occurred mainly due to the raise of prices of fuels above the general average of prices.  The accumulated prices of Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery articles reached -1.53%, in the relation January-March 06/ January-March 05, and 0.46% in the accumulated index of the last 12 months.

Volume of trade sales increased by 5.04% in the first quarter

The rate of volume retail sale in the first quarter of the year (5.04%) surpassed the one of the last quarter of 2005 (4.58%). This was possible due to the performance of Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco, which increased in the last two quarters from 1.83% to 5.19%.  The majority of the activities which form the retail trade did not have the same performance.  There was reduction in the quarterly rate in Textiles, apparel and footwear, from 8.49% to 4.93%; Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles, from 9.31% to 5.67%;  Office, computer and communication equipment, from 77.65% to 55.38%; Other articles of personal and domestic use, from 16.35% to 12.51%; and Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery articles, from 0.01% to -1.53%. There was almost stability in the quarterly rate of Furniture and household appliances (from 11.46% to 11.06%) and in Fuels and lubricants (from –8.26% to -8.23%).  Improvement, however, was  observed in the performance rates of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and accessories (from 1.01% to 2.48%) and Construction material (from -5.56% to 0.09%), activities which are included in the extended retail trade, which changed from 2.89% to 3.95%.

In the analysis by regions, twenty two among the 27 Federative Units had positive results in the volume of sales in the comparison March 06/ March 05, with the variations of major magnitude being observed in Amapá, with rate of 23.90%, Tocantins (21.25%); Roraima (19.44%); Maranhão (18.41%) and Rio Grande do Norte (12.53%).  On the other hand, Mato Grosso  (-11.13%); Rio Grande do Sul (-2.79%); Mato Grosso do Sul (-2.37%); Pará  (-2.10%) recorded decreases.   Regarding the participation in the composition of the rate of retail trade, the highlights were, in order, São Paulo (2.79%); Minas Gerais (5.51%); Bahia (11.65%); Rio de Janeiro (1.82%); and Ceará (8.87%).

Regarding the Federative Units, the results with seasonal adjustment for the volume of sales indicated, in the comparison month/ previous month, the following scenario: 14 (fourteen) states with positive changes and 13 (thirteen) with decreases.  The major reductions occurred in Mato Grosso do Sul (-5.90%); Acre (-5.56%); Espírito Santo (-3.99%); Pará (-2.56%); and Mato Grosso (-2.30%).  The positive highlights came from: Tocantins (7.92%); Sergipe (5.99%); Amapá (5.80%); Minas Gerais (5.55%); and Piauí (3.37%).

Regarding the extended retail trade, formed by retail plus the activities of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and accessories and Construction material, the changes observed in the relation March 06/ March 05 were 4.08% for the volume of sales and 7.06% for the nominal revenue of sales.  In the accumulated indexes of the year and of the last 12 months, the sector had rates of 3.95% and 3.05% for the volume of sales and 6.94% and 8.11% in the nominal revenue, respectively.

In volume of sales, the activity Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and accessories increased by 6.18% compared to March/05.  The accumulated indexes of the year and of the last 12 months were respectively of 2.48% and 1.29%.  The segment Construction material had growth of 4.67% in relation to March 2005, after thirteen months of negative results.  In the accumulated indexes of the first quarter and of the last 12 months, the sector had rates of 0.09% and -4.98%, respectively.

By Federative Units, still regarding the extended retail, the major rates of performance in the volume of sales occurred in Maranhão (30.05%); Amapá (25.69%); Piauí (25.63%); Acre (22.44%); and Paraíba (22.38%).  Regarding the impact in the overall result of the sector, the highlights were: Bahia (17.47%); Minas Gerais (6.86%); Santa Catarina (8.76%); São Paulo (0.81%) and Federal District (11.98%).