Hungary Retail Sales Growth Slows to Over 1-Year Low

Retail sales in Hungary rose by 2.4% year-on-year in August 2026, easing from a 4.9% increase in the previous month. This marked the weakest growth since May 2025, as sales moderated in food products (0.5% vs 2.2% in July), with lower activity in non-specialized food and beverages (1.9% vs 3.6%) and a continued decline in food, beverages and tobacco (-4.8% vs -2.2%). Sales of non-food products also slowed (5.0% vs 6.5%), including manufactured goods in non-specialized shops (4.2% vs 5.1%), textiles, clothing and footwear (2.7% vs 5.4%), furniture and electrical goods (1.0% vs 5.2%), books, computer equipment and other goods (0.6% vs 5.9%), and pharmaceutical and medical goods and cosmetic articles (5.4% vs 9.2%). Automotive fuel sales also rose at a softer pace (3.1% vs 8.1%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail trade fell by 0.7% in August, following a 1.0% rise in the previous month.

Retail sales in Hungary rose 4.9% year-on-year in July 2026, picking up from a seven-month low of 3% in the previous month. It marked the strongest annual growth since March, driven by faster increases in sales of food, beverages and tobacco (2.2% vs 1.8% in June) and non-food products (6.5% vs 5.1%). Within non-food items, sales accelerated for pharmaceutical, medical product and perfume (9.2%), book, computer and other industrial goods (5.9%), textile, clothing and footwear (5.4%), furniture and technical goods (5.2%), and industrial goods-type mixed (5.1%). However, sales declined for second-hand goods (-4.1%). Overall retail activity was also supported by a sharp rebound in fuel sales (8.1% vs -0.3%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity rose 1%, recovering from a 0.4% decline in June. Considering the first seven months of the year, retail sales rose 4.5% compared with the same period a year earlier.

Retail sales in Hungary rose by 3.0% year-on-year in June 2026, easing from a 4.8% increase in the previous month. This reading marked the weakest growth since November 2025, as sales decreased in non-food products (5.1% vs 7.3% in May), including manufactured goods in non-specialized shops (3.9% vs 5.2%), furniture and electrical goods (5.1% vs 5.3%), pharmaceutical and medical goods and cosmetic articles (7.8% vs 9.2%), textile, clothing and footwear (0.2% vs 7.3%), mail-order and online sales (5.2 % vs 14.5%), and perfume (10.1% vs 13.9%). At the same time, automotive fuel sales declined sharply (-0.2% vs 8.2%), while food products moderated (1.8% vs 3.1%), weighed down by lower activity in non-specialized food and beverages (3.7% vs 4.6%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail trade fell by 0.4% in June, following a 0.7% rise in the preceding period.