According to information released by Statistics Estonia on January 30, the turnover of retail trade businesses in December 2017 increased by 1% YoY at constant prices, totaling EUR 654.5 million.
The turnover of stores selling manufactured goods increased by 7% compared to December 2016.
Turnover increased in most economic activities, except for in non-specialized stores selling predominantly manufactured goods, e.g. department stores, where turnover was smaller than in December 2016. Turnover increased the most in stores selling via mail order or the internet, which saw an increase in sales of 26%. A higher than average increase in turnover was also recorded by stores selling household goods and appliances, hardware and building materials, which saw a 13% growth, and in stores selling second-hand goods as well as non-store retail sale, such as stalls, markets, direct sale, which saw a 9% growth last month.
The turnover of grocery stores, meanwhile, decreased by 3% compared to December 2016; the fall in turnover these stores was affected by the continuing increase in the prices of food products.
The turnover of enterprises engaged in retail sales of automotive fuel remained constant.
Compared to November 2017, the turnover of retail trade businesses increased by 18% in December 2017. Such an increase is typical for December, when Christmas and end-of-year sales take place.
According to preliminary data, the total turnover of retail trade businesses in Estonia was EUR 6.7 billion in 2017. Compared to 2016, turnover increased by 1.5%. (ERR/Business World Magazine)
