In January, the retail trade recorded a growth of 1.2% in the volume of sales compared with the previous month ...

Among activities, six register positive changes

In the seasonally adjusted series, six of the 10 activities recorded positive changes for the volume of sales:

furniture and house appliances (2.7%); hiper-, super-markets, food, beverages and tobacco (1.2%); construction material (1.1%); pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic articles, toiletries and cosmetics (0.5%); fabric, apparel and footwear (0.5%); fuels and lubricants (0.3%); books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-2.3%); other articles of personal and domestic use (-2.5%); office , computer and communication material and equipment (-5.1%); and vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories (-7.1%).

In the comparison with January of 2010, all the activities grew. The results, by order of importance to the overall result, were Furniture and house appliances (19.1%); hiper-, super-markets, food, beverages and tobacco (4.2%); pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic articles, toiletries and cosmetics (12.7%); fabric, apparel and footwear (9.8%); fuels and lubricants (6.3%); other articles of personal and domestic use (4.9%); books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (12.5%) and office, computer and communication material and equipment (7.4%).

Furniture and house appliances, with an increase of 19.1% in the volume of sales in relation to January of last year, was the main contributor to the overall retail rate (43%). In the accumulated rate of the last 12 months, the activity recorded a growth of 18.4%. The monthly result is attributable to the credit; the steady employment and income growth; and the prices stability, mainly as to house appliances (-2.0%, in the last 12 months, for Electronic devices in the IPCA of IBGE).

Hiper-, super-markets, food, beverages and tobacco

started the year with a change of 4.2% in the volume of sales in January compared with the same month of last year. The activity exerted the second main impact on the Retail Trade performance rate (25.0%). That performance was due to the increase in the purchase power of the population, which, in turn, resulted from the rise in the employed persons’ usually-earned real income volume and from the aforementioned employment stability. The activity was not the main contributor in the beginning of this year probably due to the decrease in demand, caused by the increase in food prices in the last 12 months. Concerning the accumulated index in the last 12 months, the activity registered a growth of 8.4% .

Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic articles, toiletries and cosmetics

, with the third highest contribution to the overall retail rate (9.0%), increased by 12.7% compared with January of 2010 and recorded an accumulated rate of 12.1% in the last 12 months. The growth above the average is attributable to the increase in the volume of salaries, the credit offer and the essential and permanent character of the products of this category. It is important to highlight that the prices of the medicines were below the average according to IPCA (3.2% for Pharmaceutical Products against 6.0% for the overall index).

Fabric, apparel and footwear

registered a change rate of 9.8% compared with the same month a year ago and a change of 11.1% for the last 12 months. The positive result above the average is attributable to the recovery after the world financial crisis, started in the fourth quarter of 2008, and to the increase in the revenue corroborated by increases in the prices all over 2010 (change of 7.4% for Apparel, against an average inflation of 6.0% for the last 12 months, according to IPCA).

Fuels and lubricants,

with a change of 6.3% in the volume of sales in the January11/January10 comparison, accounted for the fifth highest contribution to the overall retail rate this month. In the accumulated index, the activity registered a change of 6.7% in the last 12 months. That performance is attributable to the price stability of the fuels (a change of 0.5% in the last 12 months – the Fuels subitem of IPCA) and to the increase in the fleet in 2010.

Other articles of personal and domestic use,

with the sixth highest impact on the retail rate, changed by 4.9% in the volume of sales compared with January of 2010. Encompassing department, optical, jewelry, sports, toy stores etc., that activity had its performance influenced by the overall growth of economy. The accumulated rate of the last 12 months was of 9.0%.

Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery

recorded a change of 12.5%, the seventh major contribution to the overall retail change rate. The accumulated rate of the last 12 months was of 12.6%. Those results are probably due to the anticipation of school material purchases, as the school year started in February.

Office, computer and communication material and equipment

was responsible for the lowest impact on the overall rate, recording an increase of 7.4% in the volume of sales in January against the same month a year ago and an accumulated rate of 22.5% in the last 12 months. The activity recorded a change below the average this month, pointing to an accommodation as it grew at a two-digit rate and above the average all over 2010 .

In January, the retail trade recorded a growth of 1.2% in the volume of sales compared with the previous month in the seasonally adjusted series. Conversely, the nominal revenue grew 1.1%. As a result, the sector completed nine consecutive months of positive rates for the volume of sales and 13 consecutive months for the nominal revenue. The other indexes, with no seasonal adjustment, registered a growth of 8.3% in the volume of sales against January of 2010 and of 10.7% in the last 12 months. For the same indicators, the nominal revenue rose by 13.3% and 14.5%, respectively.

Extended retail changes –0.2% in the volume of sales

The Extended Retail Trade recorded a negative change of –0.2% for the volume of sales and of –0.6% for the nominal revenue (both rates were seasonally adjusted and compared with December of 2010). In relation to the same month a year ago there was an increase of 11.2% for the volume of sales and of 14.6% for the nominal revenue of sales. In the accumulated indicator of the last 12 months, the sector presented change rates of 12.3% and 15.3% for the volume of sales and for the nominal revenue, respectively.

Vehicles and motorcycles, parts and accessories

recorded a change of 16.4% in relation to January of 2010. Such an apparently high result shows, indeed, a deceleration in the activity, as the rates of November and December (in the same base of comparison) were of 30.4% and 26.0%, respectively. Compared with December, the results were of –7.1% for the volume and –5.0% for the nominal revenue of sales, what suggests that the activity is exposed to the influence of the macro measurements taken in December of 2010. In the accumulated index of the last twelve months, the change was of 14.6%.

As for Construction Material, changes were of 16.5% in relation to January of 2010 and of 16.2% in the last 12 months. That is the fifteenth consecutive high for the activity, pointing to its total recovery after the global financial crisis of 2008, considering the negative results for the ten first months of 2009.

In the comparison with January of 2010, positive results in all Federation Units.

All the twenty seven Federation Units registered positive results in the comparison with January of 2010.

The highlights were Tocantins (61.5%); Roraima (27.3%); Rondônia (26.0%), Acre (20.3%) and Paraíba (19.4%); Concerning the contribution to the rate of the Retail Trade, the highlights were, by order, São Paulo (6.9%); Rio de Janeiro (9.7%); Minas Gerais (12.7%); Rio Grande do Sul (8.8%) and Bahia (7.7%).

Concerning the extended retail trade, all the Federation Units registered positive results too. The highest rates of performance in the volume of sales occurred in Tocantins (57.9%); Espírito Santo (27.9%), Acre (24.0%), Mato Grosso (23.7%) and Roraima (22.2%). Concerning the contribution to the overall result of the sector, the highlights were São Paulo (9.4%); Minas Gerais (18.0%); Rio de Janeiro (11.0%); Rio Grande do Sul (10.6%) and Paraná (9.0%).

Considering the Federation Units and the volume of sales, the seasonally adjusted results were negative in four states: Tocantins (-2.1%), Sergipe (-2.1%), Alagoas (-0.7%) and Mato Grosso (-0.2%). The highest increases took place in Roraima (12.8%), Paraíba (6.0%), Rio Grande do Norte (4.2%), Amazonas (3.2%), Santa Catarina (3.1%) and Ceará (3.1%).