(05 November 2020) – In September 2020, the volume of retail trade fell by 2.0% in the euro area and by 1.7% in the EU, compared with August 2020, a month where the retail trade volume rose by 4.2% in the euro area and by 3.6% in the EU.
In the euro area in September 2020, compared with August 2020, the volume of retail trade decreased by 2.6% for non-food products, by 1.4% for food, drinks and tobacco and by 0.2% for automotive fuels. In the EU, the volume of retail trade decreased by 2.1% for non-food products, by 1.1% for food, drinks and tobacco and by 0.5% for automotive fuels.
The largest decreases were observed in Belgium (-7.4%), France (-4.5%) and Germany (-2.2%). The highest increases in the total retail trade volume were registered in Bulgaria (+2.8%), Portugal (+1.9%) and Romania (+1.7%).
Compared with September 2019, the highest yearly increases in the total retail trade volume were registered in Ireland (+11.5%), Lithuania (+6.2%), Latvia and Slovakia (both +5.9%). The largest decreases were observed in Malta (-12.2%), Slovenia (-6.9%) and Bulgaria (-6.7%).