Both rates came from the seasonally adjusted series, which presents four months of increase. In the series without adjustment, the volume of sales increased 4.7% in relation to August 2008, having accumulated rise of 4.77% in the year and of 5.4% in the last 12 months. For nominal revenue, the equivalent rates were, respectively, 8.0%, 9.6% and 10.7%.

In August, the volume of sales in the country Retail Trade grew by 0.7% in relation to the previous month (seasonally adjusted), and nominal revenue, 0.8%. With those results, the sector completed four months of positive rates. In the other comparisons, obtained from the original series (without adjustment), national retail trade achieved, in terms of volume of sales, of 4.7% in relation to August of last year and accumulated increases of 4.7% and 5.4% in the eight first months and in the last 12 months of the year, respectively. For the same indicators, nominal revenue of sales presented change rates of 8.0%, 9.6% and 10.7%, respectively (Tables 1 and 2).

RESULTS BY SECTOR

For the seasonally adjusted volume of sales, there were rises in five of the 10 activities, in ascending order of magnitude of rates: Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces (2.5%); Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (1.4%); Construction material (1.1%); Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles (0.8%) and Furniture and household appliances (0.6%). Negative changes happened in: Other articles of personal and domestic use (-0.7%); Fuels and lubricants (-0.7%); Books, newspapers, magazines and stationary articles (-0.8%); Textiles, apparel and footwear (-2.0%) and Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-4.9%) (Table 1).

In relation to August 2008 (series without adjustment) there were hikes in the volume of sales in six of the eight retail activities, in order of importance to overall result: 8.5% in Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco; 14.9% in Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles; 7.3% in Other articles of personal and domestic use; 0.6% in Furniture and household appliances; 11.1% in Books, newspapers, magazines and stationary articles; 0.1% in Office, computer and communication equipment and material; -5.8% in Textiles, apparel and footwear; and -5.1% in Fuels and lubricants.

In August, the segment Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco had a rise of 8.5% in the volume of sales, compared to the same month of last year, and gave the main contribution to the overall retail rate (Table 3). This result, above average, is justified by the population’s increased purchasing power due to the increased volume of real income usually earned by the employed population (3.0% in relation to August 2008, according to PME); as well as by the stabilization of sector prices, which increased, in the accumulated of the last 12 months, by 1.8% in the Group Food in the Household, and was below overall inflation measured by IPCA (4.4%). The accumulated rates in the first eight months of the year and in the last 12 were 7.4% and 6.4%, respectively.

The activity Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles, with the second major participation in the overall retail trade, presented growth of 14.9% in the comparison to August of last year and accumulated rates of 12.5% in the year and 13.3% for the last 12 months. Favorable economic conditions regarding the behavior of salary volume and the gradual recovery of credit, together with the essentiality of such products are the main factors to explain the positive performance of the segment.

The activity Other articles of personal and domestic use, which comprises segments such as department stores, optician, jewelry shops, sporting goods stores, toy stores, etc., exerted the third main impact in the formation of retail trade: 7.3% in the volume of sales in relation to August 2008. That result shows that the performance of this activity is still related to the movement of real salary volume and credit. The accumulated rate for the first eight months of the year was 9.0%, and for the last 12 months, 8.7%.

The activity Furniture and household appliances, with a rise of 0.6% in the volume of sales in relation to August of last year, was the fourth major impact in the formation of Retail Trade performance rate. That result, the second positive after five years of fall, is basically explained by the recent credit improvement, by the price fall of the so-called white line, as a reflection of IPI reduction, and by the positive evolution of salary volume of employed persons. The activity accumulated a rate of -1.6% in the year and of 2.6% in the last 12 months.

The activity Books, newspapers, magazines and stationary articles, with a growth of 11.1%, exerted the fifth major influence in the retail result. The indicator accumulated in the year achieved a variation of 9.2%, and that of the last 12 months, of 10.1%. Those results come from the income improvement and the diversification of commercialized products.

The segment Office, computer and communication equipment and material, responsible for the sixth major contribution to the formation of overall rate, obtained an increase in the volume of sales, in August, of the order of 0.1% in relation to the same month of last year, and accumulated rates of 13.3% in the year and of 21.0% in the last 12 months. What explains this month’s variation is the fall in revenues of several enterprises of the field, concentrated especially in the state of São Paulo, with significant weight on the national structure.

The segment Textiles, apparel and footwear, which reduced the volume of sales by -5.8%, was responsible for the seventh contribution to overall retail rate. In accumulated terms, results were -6.2% for the eight first months of the year and -4.9% for the last 12 months. The activity goes on a downward trend, due especially to price increases in the segment: 7.3% change for the group apparel, versus an increase of 4.4% in the General Index, in the accumulated of the last 12 months, according to IPCA.

The segment Fuels and lubricants, with a variation of -5.1% in the volume of sales in relation to August 2008, exerted the second negative contribution to overall retail trade. In terms of accumulated performance in the year, the change rate of the activity reached 0.4%, and in the last 12 months, 3.2%. Even with stability of fuel prices, such result, according to the Brazilian Highway Concessionaires Association (ABCR), may be explained by the reduced flow of large motor vehicles.

The extended Retail Trade recorded changes, in relation to last month, of 3.3% for the volume of sales and 2.1% for nominal revenue, both seasonally adjusted rates. Compared to the same month of last year (without seasonal adjustment), changes were of 5.5% for the volume of sales and 5.2% for nominal revenue. In the accumulated of the year and in the last 12 months, the sector presented the same change rate for the volume of sales (3.7%); for nominal revenue, changes were 5.1% and 6.4%, respectively.

The volume of sales of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces increased by 9.4% in relation to August 2008, and accumulated rates of 4.4% in the year and 2.4% in the last 12 months. IPI reduction policy has stimulated automobile sales, affected by credit restrictions since the last quarter of 2008.

Construction material had falls of -6.9% in the comparison August 09/August 08, of -9.8% in the accumulated of the year and of -5.8% in the last 12 months. As regards official measures of incentive to civil construction and the income increase, this year the sector has yet not presented positive results in the volume of sales.

RESULTS BY REGION

Twenty-three Federative Units had positive results in the comparison August 09/August 08, being the most significant rates those observed in: Piauí (23.9%), Sergipe (17.5%), Ceará (8.0%), Alagoas (7.4%) and São Paulo (6.0%) (Graph 3). As to participation in the composition of Retail Trade rate, highlights were, in order, São Paulo (6.0%), Rio de Janeiro (5.4%), Paraná (5.3%), Minas Gerais (2.9%) and Bahia (5.9%).

In relation to extended retail trade, the highest rates in volume of sales were from Piauí (19.5%), Sergipe (17.8%), Acre (17.7%), Alagoas (10.0%), Pará (8.9%) and Ceará (7.6%). Major impacts on overall result came from São Paulo (6.8%), Rio de Janeiro (7.1%), Minas Gerais (4.6%), Paraná (4.6%), Pernambuco (7.3%) and Bahia (4.8%). The seasonally adjusted volume of sales increased in 19 states, in the month/previous month comparison. Highlights were: Paraná (3.0%), Maranhão (2.8%), Rio Grande do Norte (2.6%) and Piauí (1.9%).