Turkey: Retail sales volume down 3.8% in March

By Muhammed Ali Gurtas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's calendar-adjusted retail sales volume with constant prices fell by 3.8% year-on-year in March this year, the country's statistical authority reported Wednesday.

"In the same month food, drinks and tobacco sales decreased by 0.6%," TurkStat said.

Excluding automotive fuel, non-food sales dropped 5.4%, while automotive fuel sales declined 4.1% over the same period.

Retail sales volume of computers, books, telecommunications equipment went down by 10.9% while electronic goods and furniture sales volume saw an annual fall of 13.5%.

Textiles, clothing and footwear sales volume surged 6.3%, as medical goods and cosmetic sales volume were down 0.1%.

Official data showed that non-food sales volume via mail orders and the Internet climbed 23.7% on a yearly basis in March.