Romania reports highest retail drop in the EU this May

Total retail trade was up in all EU member states this May, except Romania (-3.0 percent), Hungary (-0.4 percent) and Bulgaria(-0.3 percent), according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. This May Romania also reported the second highest retail drop – 4.4 percent – compared to the same month last year.

Overall, the volume of retail trade was up by one percentage point in the euro area and by 1.2 percent in the EU27 this May against the previous month when it dropped by 0.2 percent and 0.5 percent respectively. In May 2013, compared with April 2013, food, drinks and tobacco products increased by 0.9 percent in the euro area and by 1.5 percent in the EU27. The non-food sector was up by 0.9 percent and 1 percent respectively. The highest retail trade increases were reported in Finland (+3.6 percent), the United Kingdom (+2.8 percent), Latvia (+2.6 percent), Estonia and Ireland (both +2.4 percent).

Compared to the same month last year, this May the volume of retail trade dropped by 0.1 percent in the euro area and rose by 0.5 percent in the EU27.

Food, drinks and tobacco products fell by 1.5 percent in the euro area and by 1.2 percent in the EU27 while the non-food sector rose by 0.8 percent and 1.8 percent respectively.

Total retail trade fell in seven member states and rose in fourteen. The largest decreases were observed in Spain (-6.3 percent), Romania (-4.4 percent) and Portugal (-3.6 percent), and the highest increases in Latvia (+8.0 percent), Lithuania (+5.8 percent), Estonia (+5.1 percent) and Belgium (+4.5 percent).