Mixed Retail Sales Across the Balticum

Retail sales rose in Lithuania for the January to July period, but were down in Latvia and Estonia, according to latest figures from the official agencies in each country.

 In Lithuania, retail sales rose by 12.2%
year-on-year to 21.1bn litas (E6.12bn) in the January-July period.
Sales at food retailers rose by 5.9% in the period, while non-food
sales (excluding the automotive sector) jumped up 14.9%. Meanwhile,
sales at restaurants, bars and other catering establishments rose by
7.7%.
In Latvia, however, retail sales dropped 3.9% year-on-year
in constant prices, and rose by 8.2% in actual prices to 2.35bn lats
(E3.34bn). Sales of food products fell 5.3% in the seven months,
while sales of non-food products declined by 3.1%.
In July,
however, retail sales edged down 0.2% in constant prices, with food
sales down 3.3% and non-food sales growing 1.6%. On a
calendar-adjusted basis, sales in the month fell 8.5% at constant
prices, but rose by 2.8% on an unadjusted basis.
And finally, in
Estonia, retail sales fell in July declined by 3% at constant prices
to 5bn kroons (E320m). Sales at grocery stores fell by 1%, while
non-food sales were down 5%. Sales were down in most categories
during the month, except mail order goods (up 13%), pharmaceuticals
and cosmetics (up 6%), and retail sale of other specialized stores
(up 1%).