48.6% OF RETAIL TRADE CONDUCTED THROUGH SHOPS IN ARMENIA IN JANUARY-MARCH 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-March 2006, 48.6% of the RA
retail trade turover (72 bln 119.5 mln drams or about 160 mln USD))
was conducted through shops. According to the RA National Statistical
Service, 47.2% of the Armenian shops trade in food commodities, 42.3%
– in non-food commodities, and 10.5% trade in both food and non-food
commodities. Very small shops prevailed in the number of shops
subjected to statistical monitoring of the RA National Statistical
Service (85%). Such shops accounted for 30.1% of the trade turnover,
whereas large shops that make up 1.1% of the total number of shops
accounted for 40.4% of the trade conducted. The consumer goods market
have a particular place in the Armenian retail trade. In January-March
2006, trade in the consumer goods markets made 41 bln 506.8 mln drams,
exceeding by 13.1% the respective index of last year. The Armenian
consumer markets are mainly specialized in non-food commodity trade:
out of 63 consumer commodity markets in Armenia, 47 markets trade in
non-food goods (out of 22 markets in Yerevan, 18 are specialized in
non-food commodity trade). The large share of non-food commodities
(87.7%) in trade turnover on the country’s consumer goods markets is
conditioned by this fact. In January-March 2006, the retail market of
Yerevan prevailed over those in other marzes of Armenia. This tendency
continued in January-March 2006: during this period, the Yerevan
retail market volume exceeded 2.5fold the average index in the
country. The economic activity of retail market in other Armenian
marzes ranged from 9.5% to 35.8% with respect to the average index in
Armenia. As of April 1, 2006, commodity reserves at the operating
retail trade facilities of Armenia made 53 bln 686.2 mln drams, while
provision with commodity reserves made 56 days.