Czech Republic Retail Sales Growth at 2-Year Low

Retail sales in the Czech Republic rose by 5% year-on-year in January 2026, well above market expectations of a 2.8% gain and accelerating from a 1.8% increase in the previous month. The latest figure also marked the fastest growth in retail activity since April 2025, mainly driven by higher sales of automotive fuel (7.3% vs 4.4% in December 2025) and sales via mail and internet (18.7% vs 3.7%). In the non-food sector, turnover also increased faster (7.8% vs 2.1%), particularly for culture, sports and recreation (9.1% vs -2.1%), cosmetics and toiletries (8.5% vs 8.2%), and clothing and footwear (6.9% vs 0.9%). On the other hand, sales declined in specialized stores with household products (-3% vs -0.3%), while growth softened for food, beverages and tobacco (0.3% vs 0.7%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity increased by 1% in January, marking the sharpest rise since April 2025 and rebounding from a 0.1% fall in the preceding period.

Retail sales in the Czech Republic rose by 1.8% year-on-year in December 2025, sharply lower than market forecasts of a 3.5% gain and slowing from a downwardly revised and five-month high of 4.5% increase in the previous month. The latest figure also marked the lowest reading since December 2023, driven by softer sales increase for non-food products (2% vs 6.3% in November). Among the non-food sector, sales declined mainly for information and communication equipment (-1.8% vs -1.5%) and cultural and recreation goods (-1% vs 3%), while it rose at a lesser extent for other goods (2.3% vs 3%). Additionally, activity growth slowed for automotive fuel (3.9% vs 6%) and food, beverages, and tobacco (1% vs 1.1%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail trade fell by 0.1% in December, reversing a 0.8% gain in the preceding period.

Retail sales in the Czech Republic rose by 4.6% year-on-year in November 2025, following a downwardly revised 2.4% gain in the previous month and exceeding market expectations of 3.4%. This marked the largest sales growth in five months, as activity increased in automotive fuel (6% vs 4.3%) and non-food products (6.3% vs 3.9% in October), particularly in cosmetic and toilet articles (9.5% vs 8.7%), mail order houses or via internet (15.8% vs 6.6%), and not in stores, stalls, or markets (14.6% vs 5.9%). In addition, sales recovered in food, beverages, and tobacco (1.1% vs -0.4%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity grew 0.8% in November from a downwardly revised 0.3% in the preceding period.