17 Jul 2009 14:43

Russian retail turnover declines 6.5% in June, biggest drop this year

MOSCOW. July 17 (Interfax) - Retail turnover in Russia declined 6.5% to 1.178 trillion rubles in June 2009 compared to June 2008, the biggest one-month drop since the start of the year, the Industry and Trade Ministry told Interfax.

Retail turnover rose by 10%-18% each month in 2008 with the exception of December, when they declined 4.8%. In 2009, retail turnover fell 1.4% in February, 3% in March, 4.5% in April and 5.6% in May.

Total turnover amounted to roughly 6.8 trillion rubles in the first half of 2009, down 3% from the same period of 2008.