Press Section / Retail Trade Index (RTI)

Description

The objective of the Retail Trade Index (RTI) is to ascertain the evolution of the sales and employment in the retail trade sector in Spain, and fulfill the requirements established by Eurostat in the short-term study of this sector.
The information is collected from a sample of 12,000 companies located throughout the national territory, from which data is obtained by questionnaire, telephone, fax or online, regarding the gross monthly sales and the number of employed persons, referring to the last day of each month.
Gross sales are the total invoiced by the company in products sold in the exercise of its activity, including VAT.
The number of employed persons is made up of the total number of persons who work in the company on a certain date, contributing to the production of goods and services. This includes both remunerated and non-remunerated personnel.
Indices are calculated both on a national level and for the different Autonomous Communities.

Distribution classes

For the purpose of ascertaining the evolution of the different trade formulas, the retail trade index is broken down into four distribution classes: Department stores, Large chain stores, Small chain stores and Single retail stores, from which indices on sales and employment are obtained.
Department store: A department store is defined as any establishment that has a sales and exhibition area greater than or equal to 2500 metres square. Sales area is defined as any area that is accessible to the public and where sales transactions take place; it includes shop windows, display cabinets, shelves and hallways within the establishment.
Large chain store: A Large chain store is considered to be any company with 25 or more premises, and 50 or more employees.
Small chain store: A Small chain store is considered to be any company with more than one premises, except those with 25 or more premises and 50 or more employees.
Single retail stores: A Single retail store is considered to be that which carries out its commercial activity through a single premises.

Corrected indices

The indices of the RTI are adjusted for the prices' effect, and in certain series, for the calendar effect.
The indices adjusted for the prices' effect allow for studying the evolution, eliminating the effect that prices have on sales, and thus providing not only the indices at current prices, but also the indices at constant prices.
Certain series are also adjusted for the calendar effect, thereby eliminating the differences in sales due to the different structure presented by the different months (both in the number of days and in the composition of working days as compared with holidays). The retail trade indices are affected by: the working-day effect, the Holy Week effect and the leap-year effect. .