Danish Retail Sales Hit 8-Month Low

Retail sales in Denmark climbed 7.1% year-on-year in March 2026, accelerating from a downwardly revised eight-month low of 1.9% in the prior month. It marked the strongest growth since January 2022, as sales increased at a faster pace in supermarkets, department stores and specialized grocery stores (4.4% vs 0.5% in February), consumer electronics (19.1% vs 13%), household equipment, furniture, and building materials (10.5% vs 4.3%), clothing, footwear and jewelry (10% vs 3.6%), pharmacies and personal care products (10.5% vs 5.1%), and second-hand goods (22.2% vs 11.6%). In addition, trade rebounded in cultural and leisure products (12.9% vs -6%). Meanwhile, sales continued to decline for liquid fuel filling stations (-7% vs -2.5%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity rose 2.5%, rebounding from a downwardly revised 0.2% fall in February. Over the first quarter of 2026, retail sales growth eased to 0.9% from 1.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Retail sales in Denmark rose 2.2% year-on-year in February 2026, slowing from a 3.8% gain in the previous month. This marked the weakest annual growth since June 2025, as sales moderated in supermarkets, department stores, and specialized grocery stores (0.3% vs 1.9% in January), household equipment, furniture, and building materials (5.2% vs 7.8%), clothing, footwear, and jewelry (4.6% vs 6.1%), and second-hand goods (9.6% vs 16.5%). In addition, sales tumbled for cultural and leisure products (-5% vs 4.8%). On the other hand, declines softened at fuel stations (-0.4% vs -3.8%), while retail growth accelerated in both consumer electronics (12.8% vs 11.8%) and pharmacies and personal care (5% vs 3.5%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity fell 0.3%, reversing an upwardly revised 0.8% gain in January.

Retail sales in Denmark rose 3.8% year-on-year in January 2026 from an upwardly revised 3.7% gain in the previous month. Sales increased in supermarkets, department stores, and specialized grocery stores (1.8% vs 1.2% in December 2025), household equipment, furniture, and building materials (7.9% vs 7.5%), clothing, footwear, and jewelry (6.9% vs 3.7%), and second-hand goods (15.7% vs 3.2%). In contrast, sales growth slowed in consumer electronics (11.9% vs 12.1%), cultural and leisure products (6.1% vs 8.3%), and pharmaceutical and personal care products (3% vs 5.3%), while activity fell further in liquid fuel filling stations (-3.8% vs -2.2%). On a monthly basis, retail sales grew by 0.7% in January, rebounding from an upwardly revised 1.3% drop in the preceding period.