Eurozone Retail Sales Post Sharpest Decline in Over a Year

2026-09-04 09:15 By Joana Ferreira 1 min. read

Eurozone retail sales fell 0.6% month-on-month in July 2026, following an upwardly revised 0.2% increase in June and missing market expectations of a 0.3% rise.

It was the first decline in retail trade since April and the steepest since May 2025, driven by weaker sales of non-food products (-1.4% vs. 0.5%) and fuel (-0.8% vs. 1.8%).

Meanwhile, sales of food, drinks and tobacco rose 0.4%, rebounding from a 0.6% decline in June.

Among the eurozone’s largest economies, retail sales fell sharply in Germany (-3.4% vs. 0.0%), Spain (-0.9% vs. 0.4%) and Italy (-0.3% vs. 0.0%), while increasing in France (0.9% vs. 0.4%) and the Netherlands (0.2%, unchanged from June).

On an annual basis, retail sales growth slowed to 0.6% in July from 1.4% in June, marking the weakest pace in two years.



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Eurozone Retail Sales Post Sharpest Decline in Over a Year
Eurozone retail sales fell 0.6% month-on-month in July 2026, following an upwardly revised 0.2% increase in June and missing market expectations of a 0.3% rise. It was the first decline in retail trade since April and the steepest since May 2025, driven by weaker sales of non-food products (-1.4% vs. 0.5%) and fuel (-0.8% vs. 1.8%). Meanwhile, sales of food, drinks and tobacco rose 0.4%, rebounding from a 0.6% decline in June. Among the eurozone’s largest economies, retail sales fell sharply in Germany (-3.4% vs. 0.0%), Spain (-0.9% vs. 0.4%) and Italy (-0.3% vs. 0.0%), while increasing in France (0.9% vs. 0.4%) and the Netherlands (0.2%, unchanged from June). On an annual basis, retail sales growth slowed to 0.6% in July from 1.4% in June, marking the weakest pace in two years.
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