Volume of retail trade up by 17.8% in the Euro Area

July 06, 2020

After the Member States began easing the COVID-19 containment measures in May 2020, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade rose by 17.8% in the euro area and by 16.4% in the EU, compared with April 2020, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. However, in April 2020, the retail trade volume fell by 12.1% in the euro area, while in the EU, an 11.4% decrease was observed.

In comparison to May 2019, May 2020’s calendar adjusted retail sales index fell by 5.1% in the euro area and by 4.2% in EU.

Monthly comparison by retail sector and by Member State

In comparison to April 2020, the volume of retail trade rose in the euro area in May 2020 by 38.4% for automotive fuels, by 34.5% for non-food products, and food, drinks, and tobacco increased by 2.2%. In the EU, “the volume of retail trade increased by 31.9% for automotive fuels, by 30.2% for non-food products and by 2.1% for food, drinks and tobacco,” as indicated by the Eurostat. Notably, the volume of retail trade in textiles, clothing and footwear increased by 147.0% in the euro area and by 130.7% in the EU.

All Member States for which data are available experienced increases in the volume of retail trade, excluding in Bulgaria, where it remained stable. Notably, the highest increases were observed in Luxembourg (+28.6%), France (+25.6%), and Austria (+23.3%).

2020-07-06T14:40:12-05:00