30 September 2015

2015- n° 238

Household consumption of goods increased slightly in early summer (+0.3% in July and +0.0% in August) Household consumption expenditure on goods - July - August 2015

Household consumption expenditure on goods grew by 0.3% in July (in volume*, after +0.4% in June) and was stable in August. In July, consumption was led by expenditure on energy (+1.5%), textile, clothing and leather (+2.0%) and household durables (+2.1%); nevertheless car purchases declined (–1.3%). In August, smaller changes for most of the goods offset each other. Measured consumption over the last three months increased by 0.7% compared to the previous three months.

After an increase in June (+0.4%), engineered goods consumption kept growing at the same pace in July (+0.4%), and then stabilised in August, to its highest level since March 2011.

After an increase in June (+0.4%), expenditure on durable goods was stable in July and in August. Expenditure on household durables grew significantly in July (+2.1% after +0.5% in June) and then held steady in August. They went up by +1.9% over those three months, compared to the three previous ones, mainly buoyed by communication equipment purchases. However, car purchases stepped back in July (–1.3%) after four months of increase, and were stable in August.

Consumption of textile, clothing and leather accelerated during July's sales (+2.0% after +0.3% in June), before receding in August (–0.3%). Over the last three months, it rose further compared to the preceding three months (+2.0%).

[* Volumes are chained and all figures are trading days and seasonally adjusted.]

Consumption expenditure on other engineered goods decreased slightly in July (–0.2%), then went back up in August (+0.4%), particularly due to perfume purchases.

After an increase of +0.7% in June, consumption of food products fell back slightly in July (–0.3%) and in August (–0.2%). Consumption of tobacco contributed to limit the decline in July, but accentuated it in August.

After a slight decrease in June (–0.3%), consumption of energy products climbed anew in July (+1.5%) and in August (+0.4%). Consumption of fuel increased sharply – +2.1% in July as in August –, mainly consumption of domestic heating oil, which jumped in August, stimulated by past price decreases.

Since the previous publication, new information has been integrated, and the seasonal adjustment coefficients were updated. However, the variation in household consumption of goods remains unchanged in June 2015 (+0.4%).