Annual Retail Trade Survey (RETR)

Type of store of establishment, status

Type of store refers to whether or not a store is a retail store chain (defined as an organization operating four or more outlets in the same industry class under the same legal ownership at any time during the survey year) or a non-chain store (consisting of "franchise" and "independent" stores with fewer than four locations in the same industry class under the same legal ownership at any time during the survey year).

Establishment refers to the level at which accounting data required to measure production is available (principal inputs, revenues, salaries and wages). The establishment, as a statistical unit, is defined as the most homogeneous unit of production for which the business maintains accounting records from which it is possible to assemble all the data elements required to compile the full structure of the gross value of production (total sales or shipments, and inventories), the cost of materials and services, and labour and capital used in production.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classifications and/or lists:

• Store - Retail trade