Eurozone Retail Sales Dip for Third Straight Month

2026-05-07 09:10 By Joana Ferreira 1 min. read

Eurozone retail sales volumes declined by 0.1% month-over-month in March 2026, marking the third consecutive monthly drop but outperforming market expectations of a 0.3% fall.

Fuel sales led the decline, plunging 1.6%, the steepest decrease since August 2023, due to rising fuel costs tied to the Middle East war.

Food trade also fell by 0.3%, following a 0.5% drop in the previous month.

In contrast, non-food product sales rose by 0.6%, the first increase since November.

Among the bloc’s largest economies, sales fell in Germany (-2.1%) and Italy (-0.1%), but increased in Spain (1.2%), the Netherlands (1.1%) and France (0.2%).

Annually, retail trade growth slowed to 1.2% in March from 1.3%, slightly above forecasts of 1%.



News Stream
Eurozone Retail Sales Dip for Third Straight Month
Eurozone retail sales volumes declined by 0.1% month-over-month in March 2026, marking the third consecutive monthly drop but outperforming market expectations of a 0.3% fall. Fuel sales led the decline, plunging 1.6%, the steepest decrease since August 2023, due to rising fuel costs tied to the Middle East war. Food trade also fell by 0.3%, following a 0.5% drop in the previous month. In contrast, non-food product sales rose by 0.6%, the first increase since November. Among the bloc’s largest economies, sales fell in Germany (-2.1%) and Italy (-0.1%), but increased in Spain (1.2%), the Netherlands (1.1%) and France (0.2%). Annually, retail trade growth slowed to 1.2% in March from 1.3%, slightly above forecasts of 1%.
2026-05-07
Eurozone Retail Sales Dip 0.2% in February
Eurozone retail sales edged down 0.2% month-on-month in February 2026, following stagnation in January and aligning with market forecasts. Food, drinks, and tobacco sales fell 0.5%, reversing two consecutive months of growth, while non-food product sales remained flat after two prior months of decline. In contrast, fuel trade rebounded with a 0.7% increase, reversing a 0.8% drop from the previous month. Among the bloc’s largest economies, sales fell in Germany (-0.6%), the Netherlands (-0.3%), and France (-0.1%), but held steady in Italy and Spain. Year-over-year, retail trade growth eased to 1.7% in February, down from 2.1% in January, slightly exceeding expectations of 1.6%.
2026-04-08
Eurozone Retail Sales Dip in January
Eurozone retail sales fell 0.1% month-on-month in January 2026, following an upwardly revised 0.2% gain in December 2025 and missing market expectations of a 0.3% rise. The decline was driven by weaker sales of fuel (-1.1% vs 0.6% in December) and other non-food products (-0.2% vs -0.4%), while sales of food, drinks, and tobacco rose 0.3%, slightly below December’s 0.4% increase. Looking at the region’s largest economies, retail trade fell in Germany (-0.9%) but rose in France (0.3%), Spain (0.2%), Italy (0.2%), and the Netherlands (0.4%). On an annual basis, Eurozone retail growth accelerated to 2.0% in January from 1.8% in December, surpassing the market consensus of a 1.7% increase.
2026-03-05