Cyprus retail sales down prov 3.9% y/y in Oct

**Another bad year for car sales**

Retail sales in Cyprus fell by a provisional 3.9% over the year earlier in October, although this was less steep than the fall of 6.4% recorded in September.
For the period January-October 2012 the retail sales volume is provisionally estimated to have decreased by 3.9%.
The value of retail trade in the same period is provisionally estimated to have fallen by 2.4% compared with the corresponding period of 2011.
Also in value terms, the turnover value index of wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles fell by 5.1% over the previous quarter in July-September 2012. The index that excludes motor vehicles fell by 3.6% in the same period.
Meanwhile the year 2012 was another poor one for car salesmen, as the number of motor vehicles registered fell by 28.7% to 24,104 in January – November 2012, from 33,826 in January – November 2011.
Registrations of private saloon cars fell by 26.3% to 18,000 from 24,431 in January – November 2011.
In the whole of 2011 motor registrations fell by 17.6%.