The economic situation of trade in 2013

After a dip in 2012, the trade industries were stalled in 2013 because of weak domestic demand. The motor trade industry suffered most ( 3.3 % in volume), due to the sharp decrease of automobile purchases made by households. The activity of the retail trade industry decreased slightly in volume ( 0.6 %). The non-food retail trade sector still experienced slight growth, whereas primarily food retailing and craft sectors contracted. The wholesale industry in 2013 staged a timid recovery with sales increasing in volume by 0.4 %. In 2013, the drop in salaried employment was similar in the trade industries and in the economy as a whole ( 0.4 %). As in 2011 and in 2012, firm creations in the trade industry declined in 2013, but remained dynamic due to the regime of “autoentrepreneur” (one-person business).