Romanian Retail Sales Drop 2.6% in September

Romania’s retail sales fell 2.6% year-on-year in September 2026, following a revised 0.2% decline in the previous month. The decline came as all sectors recorded decreases: non-food product sales (-2.0% vs 0.1% in August), food, beverages and tobacco (-2.2% vs -2.0%), and retail sales of automotive fuel in specialized stores (-3.5% vs -1.1%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail trade fell 1.3%, reversing a downwardly revised 2.1% increase in the previous month. In the first nine months of the year, retail sales shrank 4.6% from the same period a year earlier.

Romania’s retail sales increased 0.1% year-on-year in August 2026, marking the first increase after twelve consecutive months of decline, compared with a 6.1% drop in the previous month. The rebound was led by non-food product sales, which increased (0.2% vs -6.7% in July), while sales of food, beverages and tobacco declined (-1.9% vs -6.0%) and retail sales of automotive fuel in specialized stores also fell (-0.3% vs -4.8%), albeit at a softer pace. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail trade rose 2.3%, accelerating from a 0.8% increase in the previous month. In the first eight months of the year, retail sales declined 5.1% from the same period a year earlier.

Romania’s retail sales fell 6.1% year-on-year in July 2026, marking the twelfth consecutive month of decline, but easing from an upwardly revised 7.4% drop in the previous month. The softer contraction was broad-based, with sales falling less sharply in food, beverages and tobacco (-5.8% vs -7.3% in June), non-food products (-6.7% vs -6.8%), and automotive fuel in specialized stores (-4.4% vs -5.8%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail trade rose 0.8%, rebounding from an upwardly revised 1.3% drop in June. In the first seven months of the year, retail sales declined 5.8% from the same period a year earlier.