Estonia Retal Sales Growth at 9-Month Low

Retail sales in Estonia fell by 1.1% year-on-year in May 2026, reversing a 1.6% increase in the previous month and marking the weakest growth since August 2025. Sales of non-food products excluding fuel declined by 4.6% from a 1.4% increase in April. At the same time, sales of food, beverages, and tobacco continued to contract, though at a slower pace (-0.4% vs. -0.9%), and growth in automotive fuel sales at specialized stores eased to 2.3% from 2.7% in the previous month. On a monthly basis, retail sales edged up 0.1% in May, slightly recovering from a 3.5% decline recorded in April.

Retail sales in Estonia increased by 1.6% year-on-year in April 2026 from 6.9% in the previous month. This marked the softest rise in retail activity since a decline in December 2025. Growth slowed sharply in automotive fuel sold in specialized stores, which rose 2.7% compared with 14.8% in the previous month, along with non-food products excluding fuel, which increased 1.4% from 10.1%. Meanwhile, retail activity in food, beverages, and tobacco declined by 0.9%, easing from a 1.8% drop in the prior month. On a monthly basis, retail sales fell by 3.5% in April 2026, reversing sharply after a 14.5% advance in the prior month.

Retail sales in Estonia rose by 6.9% year-on-year in March 2026 from 4.8% in the previous month, driven by stronger growth in non-food products excluding fuel, which climbed to 10.1% from 7.9%. Meanwhile, sales of automotive fuel in specialised stores eased to 14.8% from 16.9% in February, while the decline in food, beverages, and tobacco narrowed to 1.8% from 2.6%, with continued weakness attributed to higher food prices. On a monthly basis, retail activity rebounded sharply, rising 14.5% in March after a 5.8% contraction in the prior month. During the January-March period, retail sales volumes grew by 7% compared with the same period last year.