Cyprus Retail Trade Growth Picks Up in March

Retail sales in Cyprus rose by 5.8% year-on-year in March 2026, picking up pace from a 4.1% increase in February. The expansion was driven by strong gains in information and communication equipment, which surged 35.3% (up from 8.8%), alongside a rebound in automotive fuel sales (9.8% vs -2.8%). Other categories showing solid growth included household equipment (12.8% vs 6.6%) and pharmaceuticals, orthopedic goods, and cosmetics (8.4% vs 4.9%). On the other hand, sales declined notably for food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores (-4.9% vs 3.2%), as well as for flowers, jewelry, and second-hand goods (-9.7% vs 5.1%). Clothing and footwear also slipped slightly (-0.8% vs 1.2%). For the first quarter of 2026, retail trade grew by 6.4%.

Retail sales in Cyprus rose by 4.1% year-on-year in February 2026, following an upwardly revised 9.5% jump in the preceding month. Sales growth slowed across several categories, including clothing and footwear (1.2% vs 16.5% in January); food, beverages or tobacco in non-specialized stores like supermarkets (4.9% vs 8.6%); other household equipment (6.6% vs 15.1%) and information and communication equipment (8.8% vs 24.1%). Moreover, spending on automotive fuel declined (-2.8% vs 2.3%). In the first two months of 2026, retail trade rose by 6.8% over a year ago.

Retail sales in Cyprus rose by 8.3% year-on-year in January 2026, slowing from a 8.9% increase in the previous month. Sales growth softened mainly for food, beverages and tobacco in specialized stores (3.4% vs 18.5% in December), especially in supermarkets (8.6% vs 8.9%), and automotive fuel (2.3% vs 3.1%). Additionally, retail sales not in stores declined sharply (-11.7% vs -4.3%), while flowers, plants, watches, jewellery, optical goods and second-hand goods remained unchanged (at -2.6%). In contrast, turnover increased faster for information and communication equipment (21.3% vs 11.7%), other household equipment (construction materials, carpets, furniture, electrical appliances, lighting) (11.5% vs 7%), and clothing and footwear (19.1% vs 14.5%). For the whole year of 2025, retail activity was 7.9% higher compared last year.