Both rates were determined with reference to August, in the seasonally adjusted series. In this comparison the sector completes five months of positive rates. By comparison with September 2008, the volume of sales and nominal revenue of retail trade increased by 5.0% and 8.1%. In the first nine months of the year, those indicators recorded an expansion of 4.7% and 9.4%. In the last 12 months, volume and revenue accumulated increases of 5.0% and 10.2%. The 5.3% result in Retail Trade during the third quarter of 2009 nearly repeats that of the second quarter (5.2%), although above the rate of the first quarter (3.7%).

As regards Extended Retail Trade¹, from August to September there was an increase of 3.0% in the volume of sales and 4.6% in nominal revenue, both rates seasonally adjusted. By comparison with September 2008, the volume of sales changed by 9.1% and nominal revenue, 8.1%. Still in Extended Retail Trade, the volume of sales accumulated a variation of 4.4% in the year and of 3.3% in the last 12 months. For nominal revenue, changes were 5.5% and 5.4%, respectively. In terms of Extended Retail Trade, the change rate during the third quarter, 5.2%, exceeded that of the second quarter of the year (4.1%). 

For the seasonally adjusted volume of sales, results indicate that seven of the 10 activities obtained positive variations. They are listed next, by descending order of rate magnitude: Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and pieces (9.1%); Office, computer, and communication material and equipment (8.8%); Furniture and household appliances (1.8%); Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (1.4%); Textiles, apparel and footwear (0.9%); Fuels and lubricants (0.5%); and Other articles of personal and domestic use (0.5%). Negative variations occurred in: Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco (-0.5%); Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles (-1.1%), and Construction material (-1.5%).

In the relation September 09/September 08 (series without adjustment), six of the eight retail activities obtained increases in the volume of sales, whose rates, by order of importance to the overall result, were the following: 9.7% for Hypermarket supermarket, food products, beverages and tobacco; 6.6% for Other articles of personal and domestic use; 8.1% for Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles; 1.5% for Furniture and household appliances; 9.7% for Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery; 3.2% for Office, computer, and communication material and equipment; -6.6% for Textiles, apparel and footwear; and -4.3% for Fuels and lubricants.

The segment Hypermarket, supermarket, food products, beverages and tobacco, which varied by 9.7% in the volume of sales in September, considering the same month of the previous year, was responsible for the main contribution to the overall retail rate. That above average result is explained by the population’s increased purchasing power resulting from the increased volume of real income usually earned by the employed population (2.3% in relation to September 2008, according to the Monthly Survey of Trade of IBGE), as well as by the stabilization of sector prices, which increased by 2.3% in the accumulated of the last 12 months in the Group Food in the Household, being below overall inflation measured by IPCA (4.3%). The accumulated rates in the first nine months of the year and in the last 12 months were 7.7% and 7.1%, respectively.

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 second main impact on the formation of retail trade: 6.6% in the volume of sales in relation to September 2008. Favorable economic conditions regarding the behavior of salary volume and the gradual recovery of credit are the main factors that explain the positive performance of the segment. In accumulated terms, the rate for the first nine months of the year was 8.7%, and for the last 12 months, 8.1%.

The activity Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles, with the third major participation in the overall retail rate, grew by 8.1% in the comparison to September of last year, and accumulated rates of 11.9% in the year and 12.4% in the last 12 months. The result shows the activity growth is also related to the increase in salary volume and credit, besides the essentiality of such products.

The activity Furniture and household appliances, with an increase of 1.5% in the volume of sales in relation to September 2008, represented the fourth major impact on Retail Trade performance rate. This, the third positive result after five months of fall, is explained basically by the recent credit improvement, by the price fall of the so-called white line, still as a reflex of IPI reduction, and by the positive evolution of the salary volume of employed persons. The activity accumulated rates of -1.2% in the year and 1.2% in the last 12 months.

The activity Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery increased by 9.7%, exerting the fifth major influence on retail results. The indicator accumulated in the year varied by 9.3%, and the accumulated in the last 12 months, 9.9%. Those results come from income improvement.

The segment Office, computer, and communication material and equipment, responsible for the sixth main contribution to the formation of the overall rate, increased by 3.2% in the volume of sales in September, in comparison to September 2008, and accumulated rates of 11.9% in the year and 17.1% in the last 12 months. The decreasing prices of the sector, principally microcomputers (-4.0% in September, measured by IPCA), explain such variations.

The segment Textiles, apparel and footwear, which reduced its volume of sales by -6.6%, was responsible for the seventh contribution to overall retail rate. In accumulated terms, results were -6.2% for the nine first months of the year and -6.0% for the last 12 months. The activity continues on a trend of negative rates especially because of the increasing prices in the segment. According to IPCA, there was a variation of 7.2% in the group apparel, in the accumulated of the last 12 months, against additions of 4.3% in the overall index.

The segment Fuels and lubricants, with a variation of -4.3% in the volume of sales in relation to September 2008, exerted the eighth contribution to overall retail rate. In terms of accumulated performance in the year, the change rate of the activity reached -0.1%, and in the last 12 months, 1.8%. Even with the stability of fuel prices, there was reduction in the consumption of common gasoline and diesel, according to data from ANP for September.

In relation to the previous month, Extended Retail Trade recorded variations of 3.0% for the volume of sales and 4.6% for nominal revenue, both rates with seasonal adjustment. By comparison with September 2008, changes were 9.1% for the volume of sales and 8.1% for nominal revenue. In the accumulated in the year and of the last 12 months, the sector varied by 4.4% and 3.3%, respectively, for the volume of sales. For nominal revenue, changes were 5.5% and 5.4%.

Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces recorded a rise of 18.9% in the volume of sales in relation to September 2008, accumulating variations of 6.2% and 2.0% in the year and in the last 12 months, respectively. IPI reduction policy has stimulated automobile sales, affected by credit restrictions since the last quarter of 2008.

As for Construction material, variations were -8.2% in the comparison September 09/September 08, -9.5% in the accumulated of the year, and -7.6% in the last 12 months. Regarding official measures of incentive to civil construction and the income increase, this year the sector still does not present positive results in the volume of sales.

RESULTS BY REGION

Twenty-three Federative Units had positive results in the comparison September09/September 08, with the most significant rates observed in Piauí (14.0%), Rondônia (10.1%), Sergipe (9.4%), Amazonas (8.4%) and Acre (8.4%). Regarding participation in the rate composition of Retail Trade, the highlights are, in order: São Paulo (6.5%); Rio de Janeiro (5.0%), Minas Gerais (4.4%), Bahia (7.0%) and Santa Catarina (6.7%).

In relation to extended retail trade, the highest performance rates in the volume of sales were found in Sergipe (21.7%), Piauí (19.5%), Alagoas (15.8%), Espírito Santo (14.8%), Acre (14.0%) and Rondônia (12.4%). In terms of impact on the overall result of the sector, the highlights were São Paulo (9.3%), Rio de Janeiro (8.8%), Minas Gerais (9.9%), Paraná (9.6%), Rio Grande do Sul (6.6%) and Bahia (11.6%).

Still by Federative Units, seasonally adjusted results for the volume of sales indicate 16 states with positive variation, in the comparison September 2009/August 2009. Highlights were: Rondônia (4.5%), Tocantins (3.6%), Acre (3.2%), Amazonas (1.5%) and Bahia (1.4%).

Analysis by quarter

The result of 5.3% in Retail Trade, during the third quarter of 2009 practically repeats that of the second quarter (5.2%), however being above that of the first quarter (3.7%). Comparing the second and third quarters of 2009, behaviors by activity follow: rises in Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (from 3.7% to 10.9%); Furniture and household appliances (from -5.7% to 0.9%); Textiles, apparel and footwear (from -7.1% to -4.8%) and Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic and perfumery articles (from 11.3% to 12.1%). Rate reductions occurred in Office, computer and communication material and equipment (from 18.2% to 4.1%); Other articles of personal and domestic use (from 12.3% to 7.3%); Fuels and lubricants (from 1.4% to -4.2%) and Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food products, beverages and tobacco, which decreased from 9.6% to 9.4%. In terms of Extended Retail Trade, the change rate of the third quarter, 5.2%, exceeded that of the second quarter of the year (4.1%), influenced by the behavior of the activities already mentioned, as well as that of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces, which changed from 4.7% to 7.7%, and Construction material, from -9.7% to -9.0%.