Luxembourg saw the biggest annual increase in retail sales volumes in the European Union in August 2024, with retail sales rising by 17.3% compared to the same month the previous year.
Of the countries for which data is available, other countries to see a notable increase in retail sales included Romania (+8.9%), Croatia and Cyprus (+5.7% each), Portugal (+5.4%) and Bulgaria (+4.9%).
The largest year-on-year decreases in retail sales were recorded in Estonia (-2.7%), Belgium (-1.7%), Denmark and Ireland (-1.6% each), the Eurostat data showed.
Overall increase
Overall, the volume of retail sales increased by 1.0% in the EU, compared to the same month the previous year, and was 0.8% higher in the euro area.
The volume of retail sales remained stable on a year-on-year basis in the food, beverages and tobacco sector, while it increased by 1.7% for non-food products (excluding fuels), and by 2.0% for fuels in specialist stores.
Month-on-month sales
On a month-on-month basis, retail trade volumes were 0.3% higher in the EU in August, and 0.2% higher in the euro area.
The largest month-on-month increases by country were recorded in Luxembourg (+5.3%), Cyprus (+2.2%) and Romania (+1.6%), while the largest decreases were seen in Denmark (-1.5%), Slovakia (-1.1%), Bulgaria and Croatia (both -0.7%).
No data was available for Czechia, Germany and Greece. More information can be found here.
Year-on-year retail sales increases by EU member state, August 2024 (%)
| Country | Percentage Increase (%) |
|---|---|
| Luxembourg | 17.3 |
| Romania | 8.9 |
| Croatia | 5.7 |
| Cyprus | 5.7 |
| Portugal | 5.4 |
| Bulgaria | 4.9 |
| Lithuania | 4.4 |
| Hungary | 4.1 |
| Spain | 2.4 |
| Netherlands | 2.0 |
| Slovenia | 1.6 |
| Sweden | 1.5 |
| Slovakia | 1.1 |
| Latvia | 0.8 |
| Poland | 0.7 |
| Austria | 0.5 |
| France | 0.3 |
| Italy | -0.1 |
| Finland | -0.7 |
| Malta | -1.0 |
| Denmark | -1.6 |
| Ireland | -1.6 |
| Belgium | -1.7 |
| Estonia | -2.7 |
| Czechia | n/a |
| Germany | n/a |
| Greece | n/a |
