Hungarians Spend Less and Less on Food Items

In December 2022, the volume of sales in retail trade decreased by 4.8% according to raw data and by 3.9% when adjusted for calendar effects compared to the same period of the previous year. In December, calendar-adjusted sales volumes decreased by 8.3% in specialised and non-specialised food shops and by 0.4% in non-food retailing and rose by 1.3% in automotive fuel retailing.

In 2022, the volume of sales – also according to calendar adjusted data – was 5.3% higher than in the previous year, the Central Statistical Office reports.

In December 2022, compared to the same period of the previous year, adjusted for calendar effects:
The volume of domestic retail sales decreased by 3.9%.

The volume of sales decreased by 8.3% in specialized and non-specialized food retailing. The volume of sales decreased by 11% in non-specialized food and beverages shops accounting for 78% of food retailing and was essentially unchanged in specialized food, beverage and tobacco stores.

The turnover of non-food retailing decreased by a total of 0.4% in volume. Sales volumes rose by 35% in second-hand goods shops, by 8.9% in pharmaceutical, medical goods and cosmetics shops, by 8.7% in textiles, clothing and footwear shops and by 4.4% in books, computer equipment and other specialized stores, while sales volumes decreased by 5.3% in furniture and electrical goods stores and by 5.5% in non-specialized shops dealing in manufactured goods.

The volume of mail order and internet retailing accounting for 8.8% of all retail sales and involving a wide range of goods fell by 7.1%.

The fuel price cap, which was phased out at the beginning of December, has led to a fall in the volume growth of sales at automotive fuel stations. For the month as a whole, the volume of sales increased by 1.3%.

Sales in motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and accessories stores not belonging to retail data decreased by 2.1%.

In December 2022:
Domestic retail sales amounted to HUF 1,765 billion at current prices.

Specialized and non-specialized food shops accounted for 48% of all retail sales, while the relevant figures for non-food retail trade and retail trade of petrol stations were 38% and 14% respectively.

In 2022, compared to the previous year, adjusted for calendar effects:
The volume of retail trade increased by 5.3%.

The volume of sales decreased by 1.5% in specialized and non-specialized food shops and rose by 5.8% in non-food retail trade and by 24.2% in automotive fuel retail trade.