Turkey Retail Sales Growth Slows Sharply

Retail sales in Turkey rose 11.4% year-on-year in April 2026, slowing sharply from an upwardly revised 21.7% increase in March. Growth in sales of non-food items, excluding automotive fuel, decelerated (14.5% vs 29.5% in March), namely computers, peripheral units and software, books, telecommunications equipment, etc. (18.6% vs 49.9%); audio and video equipment, hardware, paints and glass, electrical household appliances, furniture, etc. (6.7% vs 10.0%); textiles, clothing and footwear (10.7% vs 14.2%); and mail orders and internet sales (17.9% vs 21.1%). Sales of automotive fuel also grew at a much slower pace (2.7% vs 10.7%). Meanwhile, food sales increased further (7.6% vs 7.4%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales dropped 1.7%, reversing an upwardly revised 2.8% gain in the previous month.

Retail sales in Turkey climbed 21.2% year-on-year in March 2026 from a three-month low gain of 15.6% in the previous month. It marked the strongest growth since February 2024, as sales remained solid for both food, beverages and tobacco (7.3% vs 6.4% in February) and non-food items excluding automotive fuel (28.8% vs 21.3%). Within the non-food category, sales growth accelerated for computers, books and communication devices (49.2% vs 33.2%), electrical appliances and furniture (9.3% vs 6.8%), textiles, clothing and footwear (13.7% vs 7.8%), and medical products and cosmetics (14.3% vs 10.5%). In contrast, sales via mail or internet eased (20.7% vs 25.4%). Meanwhile, automotive fuel sales climbed 10.6% in March, up from 5.8% in the previous month. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales increased 2.6% in March, rebounding from a 0.2% decline in February.

Retail sales in Turkey rose 15.6% year-on-year in February 2026, slowing from an upwardly revised near two-year high of 19.7% growth in the previous month. This marked the weakest annual growth since November 2025, as sales moderated in both food, beverages and tobacco (6.4% vs 9.8% in January) and non-food products (21.3% vs 27.6%). Within non-food items, growth eased significantly for textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (7.8% vs 17%), dispensing chemists, medical and orthopaedic goods, cosmetics and toilet articles (10.5% vs 15.7%), and computers, peripheral units and software, telecommunications equipment (33.2% vs 44.2%). In contrast, sales increased at a faster pace for audio and video equipment, hardware, paints and glass, and electrical household appliances (6.8% vs 2.8%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity slipped 0.2%, reversing an upwardly revised 2.8% gain in January.