ArmInfo. In the first half of 2019, the Armenian trade sector slowed down the y-o-y growth rate from 9.1% to 8.9%, providing a volume of 1.4 trillion drams ($ 2.9 billion), of which 264.9 billion drams ($ 553.7 million) accounted for June with a monthly increase of 6.4%. According to the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia, such dynamics is associated with a slowdown in the growth of wholesale trade and a change in the positive trend to a negative one in car trade.
In particular, wholesale trade in the first half of the year showed a slowdown in y-o-y growth from 17.8% to 12.2%, amounting to 694 billion drams ($ 1.4 billion). In June alone, the revenue of wholesale trade increased by 11.1% to 131.2 billion drams ($ 274.2 million).
At the same time, retail trade for the reporting period accelerated the growth of volume from 0.5% to 8.2%, amounting to 674.7 billion drams ($ 1.4 billion). In June alone, retail sales increased by 2% to 124.4 billion drams ($ 260 million). In the structure of retail trade, the largest turnover is provided by shops (including supermarkets) - 535.4 billion drams or 79% 3 (with y-o-y growth of 9.2%), other retail facilities - 89.2 billion drams or 13.2% (with y-o-y a decline of 12.9%), followed by consumer goods markets with a margin of 29.5 billion or 4.4% (with a y-o-y decline of 8.7%), stalls and kiosks - 14.6 billion or 2.2% (with y-o-y growth of 5.1%), and agricultural markets - 6 billion, or 0.9% (with a y-o-y decline of 25.5%).
The dynamics of volume of purchase / sale of cars in the H1 of 2019 changed from 26.4% growth towards 8.2% decline, amounting to 46.4 billion drams ($ 95.7 million). In June alone car trade increased volumes by 5.5% to 9.3 billion drams ($ 19.4 million). In the structure of the total trade turnover of Armenia, the lion's share (49%) accounts for the wholesale trade, 47.7% - the retail trade, and 3.3% - the purchase / sale of cars. The average settlement rate of dram in June 2019 was 478.47 AMD / $ 1, and in the first half of the year - 484.16 AMD / $ 1, against 482.62 AMD / $ 1 in June 2018 and 482.04 AMD / $ 1 - in the first half of 2018.
