ArmInfo.The trade sector of Armenia in January-October 2018 slowed down the y-o-y growth rate from 13.6% to 9.6%, ensuring a turnover of 2.308 trillion AMD ($ 4.8 billion). And in October 2018 alone, trade turnover in Armenia decreased by 4.4% (against a 1.8% decline a year earlier), reaching 258.8 billion AMD ($ 536.4 million). The data of the RA Statistical Committee testify to this.
The slowdown in the y-o-y growth rate of wholesale and retail trade, amid accelerating upward dynamics in car sales, cause this trend. In particular, the revenue of the wholesale trade in January-October 2018 increased by 17.6% (against a growth of 23.8% a year earlier), providing a volume of 1.105 trillion AMD ($ 2.3 billion). The volume of purchase / sale of cars in January-October 2018 accelerated the growth rate from 12.9% to 24.7%, reaching 104.4 billion AMD ($ 216.4 million).
According to the RA Statistical Committee, the retail trade turnover in January-October 2018 amounted to 1.099 trillion AMD ($ 2.2 billion), an increase of 1.4%, against 6% growth a year earlier. In the structure of retail trade, the largest turnover is provided by stores (including supermarkets) - 79.1% or 869.8 billion AMD (with a y-o-y growth of 2.6%), other shopping facilities - 12.9% or 141.5 billion AMD (with a y-o-y decline of 1.2%), followed by consumer goods markets- 4.8% or 52.7 billion (with a y-o-y decline of 2.1%), stalls and kiosks - 2.1% or 22.6 billion (with a y-o-y decline of 1.8%) and agricultural markets - 1.1% or 12.6 billion (with a y-o-y decline of 21.6%).
In October alone, the wholesale trade turnover fell by 7.4% - to 122.5 billion AMD, retail trade - by 2.2% - up to 124.6 billion with the growth of car trade by 6.3% - up to 11.6 billion AMD
In the structure of the total trade turnover of Armenia, wholesale trade is leading with a scanty advantage - 47.9%, followed by retail - 47.6%, and purchase / sale of cars - 4.5%.
The average exchange rate of the dram to the US dollar in October 2018 was 484.93 AMD/$ 1, and in January-October - 482.49 AMD/$ 1, against 480.74 AMD/$ 1 in October 2017, and 482.41 AMD/$ 1 in January-October 2017