28.09.202110:40:00UTC+00Sweden Retail Sales, Trade Surplus Increases

Sweden's retail sales increased in August and the trade surplus increased from last year, figures from Statistics Sweden showed on Tuesday.

Retail sales rose 6.6 percent year-on-year in August, following a 5.3 percent increase in July. Sales grew for the eighth consecutive month.

Retail sales in durables gained 10.6 percent in August and those of consumables, excluding sales at the state-owned chain of liquor stores increased 2.5 percent.

On a monthly basis, retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent in August.

The trade surplus decreased to SEK 10.3 billion in August from SEK 1.8 billion in the same month last year. In July, the trade surplus was SEK 6.6 billion.

Exports rose 11.0 percent annually in August and imports grew 19.0 percent.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the trade surplus decreased to SEK 2.9 billion in August compared with a surplus of SEK 3.0 billion in the previous month.