The Retail Sales Index measures the total sales of goods by all retail establishments in a country by taking a sampling of a set of retail stores. It does not contain services, so it represents less than half of total consumption. The data are adjusted for seasonal, holiday and trading-day differences between the months of the year. The index reflects the trends among different types of retailers as well.
The index is published around the 12th of the month, the report reflects data from the previous month.