North Macedonia Retail Sales Growth Slows

North Macedonia’s retail sales rose 3.6% year-on-year in August 2026, slowing from a 5.6% increase in July. The moderation was mainly driven by weaker activity in the retail trade of automotive fuel, where sales growth eased to 8.4% from 13.2% in the previous month. Excluding fuel, retail sales growth also slowed, to 2.3% from 3.6%, while sales of non-food products increased 2.3%, down sharply from 6.7% in July. In contrast, retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco accelerated, rising 1.2% year-on-year after remaining flat in July.

North Macedonia’s retail sales advanced by 5.6% year-on-year in July 2026, rebounding from a 1.0% drop in the previous month. Activity strengthened in non-food products excluding fuel, jumping by 6.7% from 1.4%, and automotive fuel, rising by 13.2% from 2.5%, while trade in food, beverages, and tobacco was flat after falling by 4.2% in June. Moreover, retail trade excluding automotive fuel rebounded sharply, rising by 3.6% from a 1.1% drop.

North Macedonia's retail sales fell 1.0% year-on-year in June 2026, marking the first annual decline since September 2025 and reversing from a 7.3% increase in May. The downturn was driven by a 4.2% drop in sales of food, beverages and tobacco, following a 9.1% rise in the previous month, while sales growth of automotive fuels also slowed sharply to 2.5% from 14.7%, contributing to a 1.1% decline in retail trade excluding automotive fuel, after a 6.2% increase in May. Meanwhile, sales of non-food products excluding fuel continued to grow, although at a slightly slower pace of 1.4%, compared with 1.6% in the previous month.