The central Statistical Office of Hungary (KSH) has announced that retail sales volume in the twelve months to April 2002, excluding cars and vehicle fuel, rose 2% in real terms. Retail sales volume however fell by 0.7pc compared with March.

Including cars and fuel, retail sales increased 11.0pc year-on-year compared with 13.1pc in the first four months period, on an unadjusted basis. The growth rate for April alone however was well below the Quarter 1 average of 10.6pc.

Against this backdrop, sales of textiles, clothing, footwear and other leather goods were up 5.8pc in April and 11.7pc in the first four months from their corresponding 2001 levels. By comparison,

April retail sales of furniture and other household durables, were up by an-above average 9.7pc year-on-year bringing the four-month growth for sales of these items up to 7.8pc.