European Union citizens left significantly more money in trade in March than a year ago. Retail sales rose 11.6 percent. Most went to the sale of non-food goods or motor vehicles. This follows from current Eurostat data.
Retail sales in the European Union and the euro area grew at a comparable rate in March. In both groups, the most was also spent on non-food goods, cars and shops were dominated by e-shops. Internet retailers’ sales increased by approximately 37 percent year-on-year. On the other hand, food spending fell slightly by more than a percent. Retail sales also increased month-on-month, by 2.7 percent (euro area) and 2.6 percent (EU).
Denmark is a record holder in retail sales growth. Here, households increased their purchases month-on-month and year-on-year by more than 22 percent. France and Slovenia also recorded more than 20% year-on-year growth, while sales increased by as much as a fifth in Luxembourg. In contrast, in Hungary, Luxembourg and Malta, there was a year-on-year decline in retail sales. In Slovakia, there was a de facto stagnation (growth of only 0.4 percent).
