Retail sales in Romania fell by 2 percent in September

According to calendar-adjusted data, retail sales revenue was 1.9 percent lower than in September 2024. September is the second consecutive month in which there is a negative trend in retail trade: in August, the decline was 4 percent according to raw data, and 2.1 percent according to calendar- and seasonally adjusted data compared to the previous year. On August 1, the general VAT rate and the VAT rate on food increased by 2 percentage points to 21 and 11 percent, respectively.

According to the raw data, the sales revenue from the distribution of food, beverages and tobacco products decreased by 5 percent, and from the distribution of non-food products by 0.9 percent, while the growth in the distribution of fuels was 0.7 percent.

The data, adjusted for calendar effects, show that retail turnover in the areas of food, beverages and tobacco products and non-food products decreased by 4.4 and 0.9 percent, respectively, while sales revenue from the sale of fuels increased by 4.9 percent.

Compared to August, Romanian retail sales decreased by 0.5 percent according to raw data, while the data adjusted for calendar effects and seasonality showed an increase of 1.3 percent.

In the first nine months of the year, retail sales were 1.6 percent higher according to raw data and 2.2 percent higher according to calendar effects than in the same period in 2024.

According to raw data, sales revenue from the distribution of food products fell by 1.8 percent compared to the same period in 2024, while non-food products and fuels in the food sector increased by 3.9 and 2.6 percent, respectively. The calendar-adjusted data show a 1.2 percent decrease in nine-month retail sales in the food sector, and a 5 percent and 3.1 percent increase in non-food products and fuels, respectively.