Statistics Explained

Archive:Second-hand goods in-store retail trade statistics - NACE Rev. 1.1

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Data from January 2009. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.

This article belongs to a set of statistical articles which analyse the structure, development and characteristics of the various economic activities in the European Union (EU). According to the statistical classification of economic activities in the EU (NACE Rev 1.1), the present article covers second-hand goods in-store retail trade, corresponding to NACE Group 52.5, which is part of the retail trade and repair sector. The retailing of second-hand goods deals by definition with the sale of semi-durable and durable items, and includes shops selling:

  • antiques;
  • second-hand books;
  • second-hand clothes.

This article excludes the retail sale of second-hand motor vehicles.

Table 1: Retail sale of second-hand goods in stores (NACE Group 52.5). Structural profile: ranking of top five Member States in terms of value added and persons employed, 2006

Main statistical findings

Turnover was EUR 8.1 billion in the EU-27’s sector of second-hand goods retailing in stores (NACE Group 52.5), from which EUR 2.0 billion of added value was generated, the smallest level of output among the retail trade and repair sub-sectors. For each of these measures the relative weight of second-hand goods retailing in the retail trade and repair (NACE Division 52) total was 0.5 % or below. Across the 65.7 thousand enterprises with second-hand goods retailing as their main activity, there were 120.4 thousand persons employed in the EU-27, therefore equating to 0.7 % of the retail trade and repair workforce.

The United Kingdom alone accounted for 32.0 % of the EU-27's turnover and 36.1 % of value added in second-hand goods retailing in stores, while its share of the EU-27's workforce was just 16.6 %. France was the second largest contributor in this sector in output terms, while Poland had the second largest workforce. Unsurprisingly, the United Kingdom was the most specialised Member State [1] in terms of the contribution of this sector to non-financial business economy value added, although this was still less than 0.1 %.

Within the second-hand goods retailing in stores sector the apparent labour productivity was exceptionally low in the EU-27 in 2006, just EUR 16.9 thousand per person employed, the fourth lowest level recorded among all of the NACE groups within the non-financial business economy (with 2005 or 2006 data available). Apparent personnel costs were also low, EUR 14.6 thousand per employee, resulting in a wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio of just 115.1 %, below the retail trade and repair average of 128.1 %.

Approximately half of the Member States [2] recorded a wage-adjusted labour productivity ratio below 100 % for their second-hand goods retailing in stores sector, indicating that average personnel costs were higher than the apparent labour productivity.

Data sources and availability

The main part of the analysis in this article is derived from structural business statistics (SBS), including core, business statistics which are disseminated regularly, as well as information compiled on a multi-yearly basis, and the latest results from development projects.

Context

Retailing is typically the final stage of distribution between producers and consumers. Since the development of the Internet, there has been an increasing use of commerce via the web. As such, there has been a gradual shift from traditional methods of purchasing from stores or markets to purchasing remotely. According to Eurostat’s information society statistics, some 12 % of the turnover of distributive trades (including motor trades (NACE Division 50) and wholesale trades (NACE Division 51), as well as retail trade and repair) enterprises with ten or more persons employed was derived from e-commerce in 2008. According to the same source, one quarter of the EU-27’s population ordered or bought goods or services for private use through the Internet in 2008 (during the three months preceding the survey). Note that these figures refer to goods and services supplied to individuals by all sectors of the economy, not just enterprises that are specialised in retail sales.

In October 2008, the European Commission put forward a proposal COM(2008) 614 for a Directive on consumer rights, to try to make purchases easier and safer, whether in-store or not. The proposal covers the provision of price information, protection against late delivery and non delivery, as well as setting out rights on issues such as cooling-off periods, returns, refunds, repairs and guarantees and unfair contract term.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Main tables

Database

Dedicated section

Other information

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland and Romania, 2005; Malta and the Netherlands, not available.
  2. ↑ Bulgaria and Poland, 2005; Malta, not available.
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