(08 June 2020) – In April 2020, the COVID-19 containment measures widely introduced by Member States had a significant impact on retail trade, as its volume decreased by 19.6% in the euro area and by 18% in the EU, compared with April 2019.
Compared with March 2020, the largest decreases in the total retail trade volume were registered in Malta (-25.1%), Romania (-22.3%) and Ireland (-21.9%). The only increase was observed in Finland (+0.3%), while the volume in Sweden remained stable.
Compared with April 2019, the volume of retail trade decreased by 42.6% for automotive fuels and by 29.7% for non-food products while food, drinks and tobacco increased by 1.4%.
The volume of retail trade decreased in all Member States, with the largest decreases in France (-31.1%), Spain (-29.8%), Malta (-24.8%) and Luxembourg (-24.7%).