Latvia Retail Sales Remain Robust

Retail sales in Latvia increased 3.9% year-on-year in March 2026, following a downwardly revised 4% rise in February. The largest gains were recorded in sales of cultural and recreation goods, sports equipment (12.4%); information and communication equipment in specialised stores (11.8%) and hardware, instruments, construction materials and sanitary equipment (11.4%). In contrast, a decrease was seen in retail sales in stalls or markets (-6.4%). Compared to February, retail sales edged down 0.1%, led by falls in retail sales of pharmaceutical and medical goods (-3.5%) and information and communication equipment in specialised stores (-2.7%).

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.