CSO - Central Statistics Office Ireland

03/28/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/28/2024 05:07

Retail Sales Index February 2024 (Provisional) and January 2024 (Final)

Volume of Retail Sales down 2.0% in February 2024

Online ISSN: 2009-5295
CSO statistical publication, 28 March 2024, 11am

Key Findings

  • In February 2024, the volume of Retail Sales decreased by 2.0% in the month and was up by 1.1% in the 12 months from February 2023.

  • Excluding Motor Trades, the volume of Retail Sales was unchanged (0.0%) in the month and rose by 0.7% in the year when compared with February 2023.

  • The largest monthly volume decreases were in Motor Trades (-9.0%), Department Stores (-7.1%), Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (-6.3%), Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) (-5.1%), and Furniture & Lighting (-4.2%).

  • Monthly volume increases were recorded in Bars (+11.8%), Hardware, Paints & Glass (+10.5%), and Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) (+0.3%).

  • The largest annual volume growth in February 2024 was in Electrical Goods (+7.0%), Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+4.4%), and Other Retail Sales (+2.1%).

  • Sectors showing the highest annual volume declines in February 2024 were Department Stores (-14.8%), Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) (-7.9%), and Hardware, Paints & Glass (-5.0%).

  • The value of Retail Sales was down by 0.7% in the month and rose by 3.0% in the 12 months to February 2024.

  • The proportion of Retail Sales transacted online (from Irish registered companies) was 4.9% in February 2024 compared with 5.7% in January 2024 and 5.2% in February 2023.

Statistician's Comment

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (28 March 2024) released Retail Sales Index February 2024 (Provisional) and January 2024 (Final).

Commenting on the release, Stephanie Kelleher, Statistician in the Business Statistics Division, said: "The volume of Retail Sales fell by 2.0% in February 2024 when compared with January 2024 on a seasonally adjusted basis. On an annual basis, retail volumes were 1.1% higher than in February 2023. When Motor Trades are excluded, the volume of Retail Sales was unchanged (0.0%) in the month and rose by 0.7% in the year when compared with February 2023 (See Headline Table, Tables 1 & 2, and Figure 1).

Monthly Changes

The largest monthly volume decreases were in Motor Trades (-9.0%), Department Stores (-7.1%), Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (-6.3%), Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) (-5.1%), and Furniture & Lighting (-4.2%).

Monthly volume increases were recorded in Bars (+11.8%), Hardware, Paints & Glass (+10.5%), and Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) (+0.3%) (See Table 3 and Background Notes).

Annual Changes

The largest annual volume growth in February 2024 was in Electrical Goods (+7.0%), Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+4.4%), and Other Retail Sales (+2.1%).

Sectors showing the highest annual volume declines in February 2024 were Department Stores (-14.8%), Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) (-7.9%), and Hardware, Paints & Glass (-5.0%) (See Table 3).

Value of Retail Sales

The value of Retail Sales was 0.7% lower in February 2024 than in January 2024 and was up by 3.0% when compared with a year earlier. Excluding Motor Trades, the value of Retail Sales rose by 0.4% in the month and increased by 2.3% on an annual basis (See Tables 1 & 2)."

Editor's Note

The February 2024 (Provisional) period covers the five weeks from 28/01/24 to 02/03/24, while the January 2024 (Final) period covers the four weeks from 31/12/23 to 27/01/24.

Headline Table

The headline table shows the seasonally adjusted value and volume indices for the Retail Sales Index. It also highlights the monthly and annual percentage changes in both value and volume. Value represents turnover or total expenditure whereas volume strips out the impact of price changes to reflect quantity sold.

Seasonally Adjusted Retail Sales Index - All Businesses
Base Year 2015 = 100
Volume Index Value Index
February 2023 129.0 135.4
January 2024 133.1 140.5
February 2024 130.4 139.5
% change
Monthly -2.0% -0.7%
Annual 1.1% 3.0%

Seasonally Adjusted Volume Indices for All Businesses and All Businesses excl. Motor Trades

In February 2024, the volume of Retail Sales for All Businesses fell by 2.0% in the month and was up by 1.1% in the year since February 2023. Excluding Motor Trades, the volume of Retail Sales was unchanged (0.0%) in the month, while on an annual basis, retail volumes were 0.7% higher.

Figure 1: Seasonally Adjusted Volume Indices for All Businesses and All Businesses excl. Motor Trades, February 2021 - February 2024

© Central Statistics Office, Ireland
https://data.cso.ie/table/RSM05

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Table 1 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Total Retail Sales for All Businesses
Table 1 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Total Retail Sales1 for All Businesses
Base Year: 2015=100
Value of Sales Volume of Sales
Period Index % change on previous period Annual % change Index % change on previous period Annual % change
2022 Year 126.2 7.6 7.6 125.3 -0.6 -0.6
2023 Year 137.1 8.6 8.6 130.5 4.2 4.2
2022 1st quarter 120.0 -3.3 14.6 122.5 -5.6 7.2
2nd quarter 124.5 3.7 5.7 124.8 1.9 -2.5
3rd quarter 128.3 3.0 3.0 125.5 0.6 -5.6
4th quarter 132.9 3.6 7.0 128.2 2.1 -1.3
2023 1st quarter 134.4 1.1 11.9 129.0 0.6 5.3
2nd quarter 138.1 2.8 10.9 132.9 3.0 6.5
3rd quarter 137.6 -0.4 7.3 130.5 -1.8 4.0
4th quarter 138.6 0.7 4.3 129.9 -0.5 1.4
2022 February 122.2 4.1 10.4 124.1 1.3 3.9
March 120.4 -1.5 11.6 121.0 -2.5 2.2
April 124.5 3.5 11.6 125.7 3.9 6.6
May 124.4 -0.1 4.9 125.1 -0.5 -4.2
June 124.6 0.2 1.2 123.7 -1.1 -8.8
July 125.6 0.8 1.3 123.3 -0.3 -7.1
August 129.1 2.8 3.6 126.6 2.7 -5.0
September 130.1 0.8 4.1 126.8 0.1 -4.8
October 132.7 1.9 6.6 129.0 1.7 -1.9
November 133.1 0.3 4.9 128.6 -0.2 -3.4
December 132.8 -0.2 9.5 126.9 -1.4 1.7
2023 January 129.6 -2.4 10.3 126.3 -0.4 3.1
February 135.4 4.5 10.8 129.0 2.1 4.0
March 138.1 2.0 14.7 131.7 2.0 8.8
April 139.5 1.0 12.0 134.6 2.2 7.0
May 137.5 -1.4 10.6 132.3 -1.7 5.8
June 137.4 -0.1 10.3 131.9 -0.3 6.6
July 137.4 0.0 9.5 131.1 -0.6 6.3
August 138.2 0.5 7.0 131.0 -0.1 3.5
September 137.3 -0.7 5.5 129.4 -1.2 2.1
October 137.4 0.1 3.5 129.3 -0.1 0.3
November 138.2 0.6 3.9 130.0 0.5 1.0
December 140.1 1.4 5.6 130.5 0.4 2.8
2024 January 140.5 0.3 8.4 133.1 2.0 5.3
February2 139.5 -0.7 3.0 130.4 -2.0 1.1
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to February 2024.
2Provisional value and volume of sales indices based on early returns from sample retailers.

Table 2 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Total Retail Sales for All Businesses (Excluding Motor Trades)
Table 2 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Total Retail Sales1 for All Businesses (Excluding Motor Trades)
Base Year: 2015=100
Value of Sales Volume of Sales
Period Index % change on previous period Annual % change Index % change on previous period Annual % change
2022 Year 123.5 9.8 9.8 128.3 1.7 1.7
2023 Year 129.0 4.5 4.5 129.6 1.0 1.0
2022 1st quarter 119.9 0.8 19.3 128.4 -1.9 12.1
2nd quarter 123.3 2.8 11.1 128.5 0.1 2.3
3rd quarter 123.5 0.2 5.2 127.3 -1.0 -3.7
4th quarter 126.3 2.2 6.2 128.6 1.1 -1.7
2023 1st quarter 128.0 1.4 6.8 129.4 0.6 0.7
2nd quarter 129.5 1.1 5.0 131.4 1.6 2.3
3rd quarter 127.8 -1.3 3.4 128.4 -2.3 0.9
4th quarter 130.2 1.9 3.1 129.2 0.6 0.4
2022 February 119.0 0.8 17.2 128.1 -0.2 10.0
March 122.5 2.9 17.4 128.7 0.5 8.8
April 123.9 1.2 21.1 130.5 1.4 13.1
May 122.3 -1.3 11.1 127.3 -2.5 2.1
June 123.5 1.0 2.7 127.7 0.3 -6.6
July 122.7 -0.6 5.8 126.3 -1.1 -3.2
August 124.2 1.1 6.7 128.2 1.5 -2.1
September 123.8 -0.3 3.2 127.4 -0.6 -5.7
October 124.6 0.7 4.6 127.6 0.1 -3.4
November 128.4 3.1 6.3 130.2 2.1 -1.8
December 125.8 -2.1 7.7 128.1 -1.7 0.2
2023 January 127.5 1.4 8.0 129.1 0.8 0.6
February 128.4 0.7 7.9 129.3 0.1 0.9
March 128.1 -0.3 4.6 129.7 0.4 0.8
April 129.3 0.9 4.3 130.7 0.7 0.1
May 129.3 0.1 5.7 131.0 0.2 2.9
June 129.8 0.3 5.1 132.7 1.3 3.9
July 125.0 -3.7 1.8 126.9 -4.4 0.5
August 129.1 3.3 4.0 129.5 2.0 1.0
September 129.3 0.2 4.5 128.8 -0.5 1.1
October 129.3 0.0 3.7 128.3 -0.3 0.6
November 130.3 0.8 1.4 129.4 0.8 -0.7
December 131.0 0.6 4.2 129.9 0.4 1.4
2024 January 130.9 -0.1 2.6 130.1 0.2 0.8
February2 131.4 0.4 2.3 130.2 0.0 0.7
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to February 2024.
2Provisional value and volume of sales indices based on early returns from sample retailers.

Monthly and Annual Seasonally Adjusted Percentage Changes

In February 2024, the largest monthly volume decreases were recorded in Motor Trades (-9.0%), Department Stores (-7.1%), and Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (-6.3%). Monthly volume increases were seen in Bars (+11.8%) and Hardware, Paints & Glass (+10.5%), and Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) (+0.3%).

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Created with Highcharts 9.3.3Chart context menuSource: CSO IrelandAll BusinessesMotor TradesNon-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets)Department StoresFood, Beverages & TobaccoFuelPharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic ArticlesClothing, Footwear & TextilesFurniture & LightingHardware, Paints & GlassElectrical GoodsBooks, Newspapers & StationeryOther Retail SalesBarsHighcharts.comFigure 2a: Monthly Seasonally Adjusted Volume percentage changes for 13 Retail Businesses - February 2024
Monthly percentage change
-10-8-6-4-2024681012-1214
%
X-axis label Monthly percentage change
All Businesses -2
Motor Trades -9
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 0.3
Department Stores -7.1
Food, Beverages & Tobacco -5.1
Fuel -0.8
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles 0
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles -6.3
Furniture & Lighting -4.2
Hardware, Paints & Glass 10.5
Electrical Goods -1.5
Books, Newspapers & Stationery -3.5
Other Retail Sales -0.8
Bars 11.8

The largest annual volume growth was recorded in Electrical Goods (+7.0%), Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (+4.4%), and Other Retail Sales (+2.1%). The largest annual volume declines were recorded in Department Stores (-14.8%), Food, Beverages & Tobacco (Specialised Stores) (-7.9%), and Hardware, Paints & Glass (-5.0%).

null
Created with Highcharts 9.3.3Chart context menuSource: CSO IrelandAll BusinessesMotor TradesNon-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets)Department StoresFood, Beverages & TobaccoFuelPharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic ArticlesClothing, Footwear & TextilesFurniture & LightingHardware, Paints & GlassElectrical GoodsBooks, Newspapers & StationeryOther Retail SalesBarsHighcharts.comFigure 2b: Annual Seasonally Adjusted Volume percentage changes for 13 Retail Businesses - February 2024
Annual percentage change
-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-20246810
%
X-axis label Annual percentage change
All Businesses 1.1
Motor Trades 0.8
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 0.9
Department Stores -14.8
Food, Beverages & Tobacco -7.9
Fuel -0.4
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles -0.5
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles 4.4
Furniture & Lighting 0.7
Hardware, Paints & Glass -5
Electrical Goods 7
Books, Newspapers & Stationery -1.5
Other Retail Sales 2.1
Bars 0.2
Table 3 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses - Provisional Results February 2024
Table 3 Seasonally Adjusted1 Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses2 - Provisional Results February 2024
Base Year: 2015=100
Value of Sales Volume of Sales
Retail Business - NACE Rev. 2 Index Monthly % change Annual % change Index Monthly % change Annual % change
Motor Trades 154.2 -9.2 4.0 128.4 -9.0 0.8
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 144.9 0.4 4.7 128.3 0.3 0.9
Department Stores 73.9 -6.3 -15.6 86.6 -7.1 -14.8
Food, Beverages & Tobacco 109.7 -5.5 -4.7 105.8 -5.1 -7.9
Fuel 134.0 -0.5 2.9 99.9 -0.8 -0.4
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles 134.5 0.7 2.1 148.0 0.0 -0.5
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles 144.9 -6.5 1.2 182.4 -6.3 4.4
Furniture & Lighting 154.7 -3.0 -1.2 191.4 -4.2 0.7
Hardware, Paints & Glass 152.0 5.3 -4.7 151.0 10.5 -5.0
Electrical Goods 137.3 -1.9 5.4 218.9 -1.5 7.0
Books, Newspapers & Stationery 92.7 -2.7 -0.9 81.5 -3.5 -1.5
Other Retail Sales 111.8 0.1 0.9 109.2 -0.8 2.1
Bars 104.2 12.2 5.4 80.6 11.8 0.2
All Businesses 139.5 -0.7 3.0 130.4 -2.0 1.1
Combined Groups
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades) 131.4 0.4 2.3 130.2 0.0 0.7
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades & Bars) 133.2 0.1 2.1 133.5 -0.2 0.7
Motors & Fuel 154.5 -6.8 4.1 125.3 -7.9 0.6
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars) 132.7 -0.2 2.1 135.4 -0.2 0.8
Food Businesses 141.6 0.4 4.0 126.9 0.6 0.0
Non-Food (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars) 125.9 -0.3 0.2 142.7 -0.8 1.2
Household Equipment 144.6 -0.2 0.6 194.0 -0.3 3.0
Books, Newspapers, Stationery & Other Goods 110.7 1.0 0.6 105.2 -0.9 1.4
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to February 2024, individual series are independently adjusted.
2See Background Notes for further detail.

Final Results and Rolling Three Month Provisional Average

Table 4 relates to final results for January 2024, while Table 5 presents a rolling three-month provisional average.

Table 4 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses - Final Results January 2024
Table 4 Seasonally Adjusted1 Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses2 - Final Results January 2024
Base Year: 2015=100
Value of Sales Volume of Sales
Retail Business - NACE Rev. 2 Index Monthly % change Annual % change Index Monthly % change Annual % change
Motor Trades 169.8 3.9 15.5 141.0 3.4 11.7
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 144.3 -1.4 5.9 128.0 -1.0 1.0
Department Stores 78.9 -7.6 -10.0 93.2 -5.1 -10.4
Food, Beverages & Tobacco 116.2 2.1 1.6 111.4 1.8 -2.8
Fuel 134.7 -0.5 1.7 100.7 -0.9 -0.6
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles 133.6 -2.1 1.5 147.9 -2.2 -1.1
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles 155.0 18.9 5.2 194.6 39.2 6.5
Furniture & Lighting 159.4 5.8 -6.4 199.8 6.3 -4.0
Hardware, Paints & Glass 144.4 -5.6 -7.2 136.6 -8.8 -8.8
Electrical Goods 139.9 1.1 5.2 222.3 0.9 6.3
Books, Newspapers & Stationery 95.2 3.6 -3.4 84.5 3.2 -4.2
Other Retail Sales 111.7 -1.5 0.2 110.0 0.0 5.3
Bars 92.8 -12.0 -2.9 72.1 -10.8 -8.6
All Businesses 140.5 0.3 8.4 133.1 2.0 5.3
Combined Groups
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades) 130.9 -0.1 2.6 130.1 0.2 0.8
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades & Bars) 133.1 -0.1 2.8 133.8 0.2 1.0
Motors & Fuel 165.9 4.4 15.1 136.1 3.6 11.1
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars) 133.0 0.0 3.0 135.6 0.2 1.1
Food Businesses 140.9 -0.2 5.4 126.1 -0.5 0.6
Non-Food (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars) 126.2 0.2 0.5 143.8 0.9 1.4
Household Equipment 144.9 -1.7 -0.5 194.5 -0.3 1.2
Books, Newspapers, Stationery & Other Goods 109.6 -1.2 0.5 106.2 0.2 5.1
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to February 2024, individual series are independently adjusted.
2See Background Notes for further detail.

Table 5 Seasonally Adjusted Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses - Rolling Three Month Provisional Average
Table 5 Seasonally Adjusted1 Indices of Retail Sales for 13 Retail Businesses2 - Rolling Three Month Provisional Average
Base Year: 2015=100
December 2023 - February 2024 December 2023 - February 2024
Value of Sales Volume of Sales
Retail Business - NACE Rev. 2 Index % change on previous period Annual % change Index % change on previous period Annual % change
Motor Trades 162.5 4.9 9.9 135.3 2.9 6.2
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 145.2 1.7 5.5 128.5 0.3 0.6
Department Stores 79.4 -4.6 -10.5 92.7 -4.9 -11.2
Food, Beverages & Tobacco 113.2 -2.1 -1.6 108.9 -2.9 -5.6
Fuel 134.7 -1.9 3.9 100.7 0.5 1.1
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles 134.8 -1.1 3.1 149.1 -1.9 0.3
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles 143.4 13.5 2.9 172.3 26.6 3.4
Furniture & Lighting 154.9 -1.7 -1.1 193.1 -1.4 1.6
Hardware, Paints & Glass 149.8 -2.9 -3.2 145.8 -3.6 -4.3
Electrical Goods 138.5 2.2 5.3 220.5 2.0 6.7
Books, Newspapers & Stationery 93.3 -0.2 -3.5 82.6 -0.6 -4.3
Other Retail Sales 112.3 1.5 1.8 109.7 2.6 5.7
Bars 100.8 -2.3 3.9 77.8 -2.6 -2.1
All Businesses 140.0 1.7 5.6 131.3 1.3 3.1
Combined Groups
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades) 131.1 1.2 3.1 130.1 1.0 1.0
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades & Bars) 133.2 1.1 2.9 133.6 1.0 1.0
Motors & Fuel 159.7 4.7 9.6 130.9 2.6 6.1
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars) 132.9 0.9 2.9 135.5 0.9 1.0
Food Businesses 141.2 0.9 4.7 126.6 0.2 0.1
Non-Food (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars) 126.0 1.5 1.2 143.0 1.7 1.6
Household Equipment 145.6 -0.1 1.5 194.6 0.8 3.1
Books, Newspapers, Stationery & Other Goods 110.4 2.2 1.4 105.8 2.6 4.8
1Based on Seasonal Patterns up to February 2024, individual series are independently adjusted.
2See Background Notes for further detail.

Percentage of Turnover Generated by Online Sales

The proportion of Retail Sales transacted online (from Irish registered companies) was 4.9% in February 2024 compared with 5.7% in January 2024 and 5.2% in February 2023. Excluding Motor Trades, the proportion of Retail Sales transacted online in February 2024 was 6.4% compared with 7.5% in January 2024 and 6.8% in February 2023.

Figure 3: Percentage of Turnover generated by Online Sales for All Businesses and All Businesses excl. Motor Trades, February 2021 - February 2024

© Central Statistics Office, Ireland
https://data.cso.ie/table/RSM07

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Table 6 Percentage of Total Retail Sales Turnover generated by Online Sales
Table 6 Percentage of Total Retail Sales Turnover generated by Online Sales1
Period % Online Sales
2022 Year 5.2
2023 Year 5.2
2022 1st quarter 5.0
2nd quarter 5.2
3rd quarter 5.0
4th quarter 5.7
2023 1st quarter 5.5
2nd quarter 5.4
3rd quarter 4.7
4th quarter 5.4
2022 February 4.5
March 5.0
April 4.9
May 5.7
June 5.0
July 4.8
August 4.8
September 5.3
October 4.6
November 6.3
December 6.3
2023 January 5.4
February 5.2
March 5.8
April 5.1
May 5.2
June 5.8
July 4.8
August 4.5
September 4.9
October 5.1
November 5.7
December 5.4
2024 January 5.7
February2 4.9
1Only enterprises registered in Ireland are included.
2Provisional subject to revision.

Table 7 Percentage of Turnover generated by Online Sales for 13 Retail Businesses - Provisional Results February 2024
Table 7 Percentage of Turnover generated by Online Sales for 13 Retail Businesses1 - Provisional Results February 20242
February 2023 January 2024 February 2024
Online Sales Online Sales Online Sales
Retail Business - NACE Rev. 2 % % %
Motor Trades 1.3 1.4 1.1
Non-Specialised Stores (incl. Supermarkets) 2.8 3.6 2.6
Department Stores 5.5 8.2 7.7
Food, Beverages & Tobacco 9.1 6.4 6.3
Fuel * * *
Pharmaceuticals, Medical & Cosmetic Articles * * *
Clothing, Footwear & Textiles 8.0 11.8 9.0
Furniture & Lighting * * *
Hardware, Paints & Glass * * *
Electrical Goods 11.1 14.0 15.6
Books, Newspapers & Stationery * * *
Other Retail Sales 8.4 7.8 6.3
Online or Mail Order 84.3 77.8 81.6
Bars * * *
All Businesses 5.2 5.7 4.9
Combined Groups
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades) 6.8 7.5 6.4
All Businesses (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars) 7.3 8.1 7.0
Food Businesses 3.5 3.9 3.0
Non-Food (excl. Motor Trades, Fuel & Bars) 10.4 11.5 10.2
Household Equipment 11.8 13.3 11.2
Books, Newspapers, Stationery & Other Goods 18.2 16.7 16.2
1See Background Notes for further detail.
2Provisional based on early returns from sample retailers.
* Confidential.