Retail Shops Sales Falling

In April 2020, the volume of sales in retail shops, including mail order and internet retailing, according to both raw and calendar-adjusted data, decreased by 10.2% compared to the same period last year, the Central Statistical Office reports.

Due to the epidemiological emergency, regulatory restrictions were introduced, which also affected retailing, with an impact on the turnover of all business types.

The volume of sales, adjusted for calendar effects, decreased by 0.4% in specialized and non-specialized food shops, by 14.8% in non-food retail shops and by 26.3% in automotive fuel retailing. In January-April 2020, the volume of sales – also according to calendar adjusted data – was 2.5% higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Declining retail sales in April 2020 were entirely driven by the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, with epidemic emergency explaining 17 percentage points from the calendar adjusted, year-on-year volume change. The volume index for non-food retail shops was 26% lower, while automotive fuel retailing was 30 percentage points lower than previously estimated. Food store sales were only slightly affected by the impact of coronavirus.