Sweden Retail Sales Growth Hits 5-Year High

Retail sales in Sweden rose 6.6% year-on-year in June 2026, slowing from an upwardly revised 8.1% rise in the previous month. The moderation was mainly driven by weaker durable goods sales (8.0% vs 10.5% in May) and sales of consumables excluding Systembolaget eased (5.3% vs 5.5%). In contrast, petrol station sales accelerated sharply (15.5% vs 4.7%) and non-specialised stores also strengthened (13.4% vs 7.8%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales rose 1.0% in June 2026, reversing from a revised 0.1% decrease in the previous month. Over the latest three-month period (April–June), the calendar-adjusted and seasonally adjusted retail sales volume was 2.3% higher than in the preceding three-month period (January–March).

Retail sales in Sweden rose 8.0% year-on-year in May 2026, accelerating from a 4.7% rise in the previous month and marking the strongest growth since May 2021. Sales of durable goods advanced 10.3% from a revised 5.4% in April, while sales of consumables (excluding Systembolaget) also strengthened to 5.5% from 3.7%. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales fell 0.2% in May, reversing from a 0.2% increase in the previous month. Over the latest three-month period (March–May), the calendar-adjusted and seasonally adjusted retail sales volume was 2.2% higher than in the preceding three-month period (December–February).

Retail sales in Sweden rose 4.7% year-on-year in April 2026, easing from a downwardly revised 5.8% increase in the previous month. Sales growth for durable goods slowed to 5.5% from a revised 9.5% in March. In contrast, sales of consumables (excluding Systembolaget) accelerated to 3.7% from 1.9%. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity was flat after a revised 2.9% increase in the prior period. During the latest three-month period (February-April), the calendar-adjusted and seasonally adjusted sales volume in retail trade was 0.4% higher than in the preceding three-month period (November-January).