Latvia Retail Sales Growth Eases

Retail sales in Latvia rose 4.3% year-on-year in February 2026, slowing from a more than three-year high of 6.1% in the previous month. Sales moderated for non-food products, except automotive fuel (6.7% vs 9.5% in January), particularly in hardware, instruments, construction materials, and sanitary equipment (3.1% vs 12.5%), cultural and recreational goods (5.5% vs 30.4%), pharmaceutical and medical goods (10.2% vs 13.9%), and clothing, footwear, and leather goods (5.4% vs 16.5%). The overall slowdown in retail trade was also influenced by automotive fuel sales, which eased notably to 6.2% from 11.4% in January. In contrast, sales of food products stalled after declining 1.7%. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity dropped 1.1% in February, reversing a 2.7% gain in the preceding month.

Retail sales in Latvia climbed by 6.1% year-on-year in January 2026, from an upwardly revised 1.1% gain in the previous month. It marked the strongest growth since November 2022, with faster increases in sales for automotive fuel in specialized stores (11.4% vs 0.6% in December), information and communication equipment (12.7% vs 7.3%), other household equipment (8.8% vs 0.9%), and other goods (11.1% vs 2.9%). Moreover, trade rebounded sharply for cultural and recreation goods in specialized stores (30.4% vs -9%) and declined at a softer pace for food, beverages, and tobacco (-11.9% vs -14.1%). On the other hand, sales slipped for non-specialized stores (-0.8% vs 1.3%) and sales via stalls and markets (-4.4% vs 1.9%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity rose 2.7%, recovering from a downwardly revised 0.7% drop in the previous month.

Retail sales in Latvia increased 0.8% year-on-year in December 2025, slowing from a downwardly revised 3.2% growth in the previous month. This was the smallest gain since sales declined in May, as growth moderated in all main groups, namely for food, beverages and tobacco (0.2% vs 0.8% in November), non-food products (1.2% vs 4.3%), and automotive fuel (0.6% vs 4.3%). Among non-food items, the most pronounced slowdowns were recorded in information and communication equipment in specialised stores (6.8% vs 16.6%), textiles, carpets, rugs, wall and floor coverings, furniture, lighting equipment, and other household articles in specialised stores (5.4% vs 12.8%), and watches and jewellery and other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores (5.9% vs 10.6%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales fell by 0.8%, following a downwardly revised 0.1% rise in November.