EU retail trade volume level returns to pre-COVID level

In the euro area comprising 19 EU member states, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade increased by 5.7 per cent in June 2020 over May 2020, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In May 2020, the retail trade volume increased by 20.3 per cent in the euro area and by 18.3 per cent in the EU.

In June 2020 compared with June 2019, the calendar adjusted retail sales index increased by 1.3 per cent in both the euro area and EU.

In June 2020, compared with May 2020, among the EU member states for which data are available, the highest increases in the total retail trade volume were registered in Ireland (+21.9 per cent), Spain (+16.5 per cent) and Italy (+13.8 per cent). Decreases were observed in Austria (-2.5 per cent) and Germany (-1.6 per cent), the Eurostat data showed.

In June 2020, compared with June 2019, among the EU member states for which data are available, the highest yearly increases in the total retail trade volume were registered in Ireland (+10.2 per cent), Estonia (+6.6 per cent) and Denmark (+6.5 per cent). The largest decreases were observed in Bulgaria (-18.1 per cent), Malta (-8.4 per cent) and Luxembourg (-7.7 per cent).

ALCHEMPro News Desk (RKS)