These seasonally adjusted rates remain positive, as well as those relative to June 2007: 8.2% in for volume of sales and 15.2% for nominal revenue. The volume of sales accumulated in the semester is 10.6% (the highest rate since 2001) and 10.1% in the last 12 months, whereas nominal revenue accumulated 15.9% and 14.5%, respectively. In the seasonally adjusted series, only one of the ten retail subsectors analyzed had decrease of the volume of sales: Other articles of personal and domestic use (0.8%). In the series without adjustment, there were increases in ten subsectors: Office, computer and communication material and equipment (40.1%) had the biggest increase and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (1.5%), the smallest. In the second quarter of 2008, retail trade sales increased by 9.4% compared to the same period in 2007, less than in the previous quarter (11.8%) and in the last quarter of 2007 (9.8%).

In June 2008, Retail Trade in the country remained on na upward trend, with rates of 1.3% for volume of sales and of 2.5% for nominal revenue of sales, in the series with seasonal adjustment (in relation to the previous month), which has had positive rates for the second consecutive month.

In the series without seasonal adjustment, the national volume of retail trade increased 8.2% over June of the previous year, having accumulated 10.6% in the first six months of the year and 10.1% in the last 12 months. The rates of these same indicators, for nominal revenue of sales, were: 15.2%, 15.9% and 14.5%, respectively.

RESULTS BY SUBSECTOR

For volume of sales with seasonal adjustment, nine of the tem activities surveyed had increase: Fuels and lubricants (2.1%); Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces (1.7%); Textiles, apparel and footwear (1.7%); Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery articles (1.5%); Office, computer and communication material and equipment (1.5%); Construction material (1.2%); Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles and cosmetics (1.0%); Furniture and household appliances (0.4%); Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (0.4%) and Other articles of personal and domestic use (-0.8%).

In relation to June 2007 (series without adjustment), the volume of sales increased in all the retail trade: Furniture and household appliances (16.1%); Other articles of personal and domestic use (19.3%); Fuels and lubricants (12.8%); Textiles, apparel and footwear (10.2%); Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (1.5%); Office, computer and communication material and equipment (40.1%); Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles and cosmetics (8.9%) and Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery articles (12.3%).

The subsector Furniture and household appliances, with increase of 16.1 % in the volume of sales compared to June 2007, accounted for the main contribution to the Retail Trade rate, accounting for 30% of it (Table 3). The indicators accumulated in the year and in the last 12 months were, respectively, 18.5% and 16.5%. These results are not only positive, but above the average in retail trade, and are also a consequence of the expansion of credit, of the improvement of salaries and of the fall of prices of electronic items.

The activity Other articles of personal and domestic use, which encompasses segments such as department stores, glasses shops, jewelry shops, toy stores, etc, accounted for the second main impact on the retail rate, with change of 19.3% in the volume of sales in relation to June 2007, and responsible for 18% of the overall rate. This activity, with accumulated results of 21.5% in the year and 21.7% in the last 12 months, shows that the activity is still influenced by the overall positive scenario of economy.

In June, the third main contribution to the retail result was that of Fuels and lubricants, with 12.8% of change in volume of sales in relation to June 2007, accounting for 16% of the overall retail trade rate. The figure accumulated in the year was 8.3%, and in the last 12 months, 6.5%. This behavior can be seen as resulting from the stability of fuel prices and to the economic conditions in the country.

The volume of sales of Textiles, apparel and footwear increased by 10.2% in relation to June 2007 and accounted for the fourth biggest contribution to the retail rate. This result, probable due to winter sales, caused changes of this activity to return to a two-digit level, as in the first four months of the year, accumulating 11.6% in the year and 11.3% in the last 12 months.

The subsector Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (1.5% in the volume of sales in relation to June 2007) accounted for the fifth major contribution to the retail rate. This result, below the average behavior of the activity throughout the first semester, may not be reflecting the effect over the consumption of food products. This fact may not have been noticeable in the previous two months due to celebrative dates characterized to an increase of sales, such as Easter’s, Mother’s Day and Corpus Christi. The figures accumulated in the year and in the last 12 months were both 5.9%.

Office, computer and communication material and equipment, which accounted for the sixth major impact on the overall rate of sales, had increase of 40.1% in the volume of sales, compared to June of the previous year, and accumulating 30.9% (year) and 33.4% (12 months). It was the activity with the highest level of increase this month. Some of the factors leading to this result are is the fall of prices together with financing benefits, the growing importance of computer-science and communication products in the consumption of families.

The activity Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles and cosmetics, with the seventh main participation on the overall rate of trade, increased 8.9% compared to the result of June last year and had accumulated rates of 12.8% in the semester and 11.7% for the last 12 months. The increase of salary volume, the expansion of credit and sales of generic products are the main products accounting for this positive impact.  

Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery articles increased 12.3% and, once more, it accounted for the least significant influence on retail trade, with accumulated rates of 11.4% (year) and 9.9% (12 months), also due to the overall scenario of economy.

The volume of sales of Extended Retail Trade increased 1.3% in relation to May, and nominal trade, by 2.2%, in the series with seasonal adjustment. Compared to June 2007 (without adjustment), there were hikes of 14.1% for volume of sales and of 20.2% for revenue. The rates accumulated in the semester and in the last 12 months were 14.3% and 13.9% for volume of sales and 19.1% and 17.8% for nominal revenue, respectively.

The volume of sales of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces fell by 26.5%in relation to June 2007, accumulating 22.3%, both in the semester and in the last twelve months. The activity still represents the main contribution to the overall rate of extended retail (60%). Lower interests, longer financing periods and positive prospects in terms of the maintenance of employment favor the increase of sales in this subsector.

As for Construction material, the changes were from 9.6% in the comparison June 08/June 07 and 11.1% accumulated in the semester, and of 11.4% in the last 12 months. This performance results from the favorable scenario of economy, especially in what concerns credit and salary volume, combined with official measures of incentive to construction.

RESULTS BY AREA

Among the twenty-seven Federative Units, only three faced decreases compared to results in June 2007: Sergipe (-2.6%); Amazonas (-0.8%) and Pará (-0.6%). The three major hikes in volume of sales were those of Roraima (15.4%); Mato Grosso (12.6%); São Paulo (12.3%); Goiás (9.9%). In terms of participation in the formation of the Retail Trade rate, the highlights were, in order: São Paulo (12.3%); Rio de Janeiro (8.2%); Minas Gerais (6.3%); Rio Grande do Sul (7.3%) and Paraná (4.2%).

In relation to extended retail trade, the highest rates of performance in volume of sales occurred in Espírito Santo (27.1%); Goiás (25.2%); Acre (24.9%); Rondônia (24.7%) and Amapá (23.4%). In terms of impact on the overall result, the highlights were the states of São Paulo (17.4%); Rio de Janeiro (10.8%); Minas Gerais (12.7%); Rio Grande do Sul (15.2%) and Santa Catarina (15.4%).

Also in the analysis by Federative Units, the seasonally adjusted results for volume for sales show there area eighteen states with positive change, in the month/previous month comparison, especially: Rondônia (3.3%); Goiás (2.4%); Mato Grosso (1.9%); Bahia (1.4%); Minas Gerais (1.4%) and Espírito Santo (1.4%).

ANALYSIS BY QUARTER

The change of 9.4% in Retail Trade, in the second quarter of 2008, compared to the same period in 2007, was lower not only than in the first quarter of the year (11.8%), but also lower than in the last quarter of the previous year (9.8%). The results of the comparison between the first two quarters of 2008 were: Fuels and lubricants, which changed from 5.2% to 11.3%; Office, computer and communication material and equipment (from 29.2% to 32.4%); and Furniture and household appliances (from 17.3% to 19.6%). Decreases which occurred in Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (from 8.4% to 3.4%; Other articles of personal and domestic use (from 28.3% to 15.6%); Textiles, apparel and footwear (from 13.3% to 10.4%); Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles (from 13.2% to 12.4%) and Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery articles (from 11.5% to 11.4%).

In Extended retail trade, the change in the first quarter (13.8%) was below that of the first one (14.8%), affected by the other activities, since the rates of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces (from 21.4% to 23.2%) and Construction material (from 10.9% to 11.3%) were higher in the second quarter.

RESULTS BY SEMESTER

In the first quarter of the 2008, there was increase of 10.6% in relation to the same period in the previous year. This result was above not only that of the second quarter of 2007 (9.6%), but also that of all the time series of the Monthly Survey of Trade (Graph 4).