In December 2017, the volume of sales of the national retail trade decreased 1.5% over November, in the seasonally adjusted series, after advancing 1.0% in November. As a result, the quarterly moving average became negative (-0.4%). In the non-adjusted series, the retail trade grew 3.3% in relation to December 2016. It was the ninth positive rate in a row, although less intense than November's (6.0%) The volume of sales of the retail grew both in the fourth quarter of 2017 (3.9%) and in the annual figure (2.0%). The cumulative results in the last twelve months grew 2.0%, the biggest result since December 2014 (2.2%).

In the extended retail trade, which includes the activities of Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces and Construction material, the volume of sales decreased 0.8% in relation to November 2017, but the advance recorded in the previous month (2.1%) contributed to make the quarterly moving average stable (0.0%) in the quarter ended in December. In relation to December 2016, there was an advance of 6.4% - the eight positive rate in a row, accumulating a gain of 4.0% in the year. The cumulative result in the last twelve months (4.0%) was the highest since February 2014 (6.4%). The complete publication, the time series and the presentation of the PMC are on the right of this page.

Six of the eight activities surveyed recorded negative change

The sharpest falls were in the Other personal and household articles (-6.3%); Books, newspapers and stationery (-4.0%); Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food, beverages and tobacco (-3.0%); and Furniture and household appliances (-2.7%). Also with decreasing sales, but at a lower pace, are Fuels and lubricants (-1.0%) and Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-1.9%).

Compared to November, there were advances in sales in Pharmaceutical, medical, orthopedic articles and toiletries (1.2%) and Fabric, apparel and footwear (0.5%). In the extended retail, the volume of sales in December fell by 0.8% compared to November 2017 in the seasonally adjusted series, with Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces and Construction material also registering a fall  of -0, 1% and -1.7%, respectively.

Compared to December 2016, the retail trade increased 3.3%, with four of the eight activities on the rise. The main impact came from Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food, beverages and tobacco (4.5%), followed by Textiles, apparel and footwear (7.0%), furniture and household appliances (8.2%) and pharmaceuticals, medical, orthopedic articles and toiletries (7.1%). The negative influences were Fuels and lubricants (-7.2%), Office, computer and communication equipment and material (-18.2%), Books, newspapers, magazines and stationery (-9.7%) and Other personal and household articles (-0.6%).

The extended retail trade, with a 6.4% increase compared to December 2016, registered the eighth positive rate, driven by the sales in Hypermarkets, supermarkets, food, beverages and tobacco (4.5%) - a sector of major weight in the extended retail, followed by Vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces (6.4%) and Construction material (9.1%).