Financial Post Retail Trade Definitions

Buying power indices - Market ratings determined by expressing the income and retail sales on a per capita basis and then relating to the national per capita average to produce income and market rating indices, respectively.An index of 100 indicates the market is on par with the national average for that rating. Each rating has its own usage. Moreover, a comparison of the two will often yield valuable information by indicating the extent to which an area attracts buyers from other areas. If an area has a low income rating but a high market rating it is probable that a large volume of sales is made to residents of surrounding territories. Conversely, a high income rating coupled with a low sales rating suggests that the people who live in the area make extensive purchases elsewhere. Market rating indices- Average retail sales per capita in each area as measured against the national average retail sales per capita. These indices give an indication of the relative retail sales power of each market.

Retail Sales Estimates - The retail sales table shows aggregate sales made through retail locations (outlets).Retail sales figures do not include any form of direct selling which bypasses the retail store, for example: direct door-to-door selling; sales made through automatic vending machines; sales of newspapers or magazines sold directly by printers or publishers; and sales made by book and record clubs. The only exception is the mail order and catalogue sales activities of department store businesses, which have been classified to the "general merchandise store" category. Retail trade also excludes: retail sales through ancillary units, for example, warehouses, head offices, etc., sales of contractors whose major activity is not retailing; and retail transactions between individuals. Note that retail sales dollars may or may not originate from the geographic unit to which they are assigned.