The economic situation of trade in 2011

In 2011, the trade industry continued to recover from the slowdown of 2009. The recovery of sales in volume was again particularly marked in the wholesale trade industry, which suffered most in 2009 (+ 3,8 % in 2011 following + 2,6% in 2010). The recovery was weaker in the retail trade and in the motor trade industries (respectively + 1,3 % and + 1,0 %), with growth rates close to those of 2010. Sales of the non-food retail trade sector were the most dynamic, whereas primarily food retailing and craft sectors remained almost stable overall. In 2011, salaried employment in the trade industries grew a little faster than in the rest of the economy (+ 0.7 % against + 0.4%), yet remained below its 2008 pre-crisis level. Although firm creations in the trade industry slowed down markedly compared to the previous year, they were still dynamic due to the regime of “autoentrepreneur” (one-person business).