site.btaRetail Sales in January Increase by 0.3% in EU and Bulgaria

The volume of retail trade increased by 0.3% in the European Union, as well as by 0.1%  in the eurozone in January 2024 compared to December 2023, according to the latest preliminary, seasonally adjusted data from the European statistics agency Eurostat, released on Wednesday.

In the first month of 2024, compared to the same month of 2023, retail sales in Bulgaria started the year with a decrease of 0.1%. For comparison, in December they went up by 0.8%. January is the first month in which retail sales in Bulgaria have weakened on an annual basis since April 2023.

Examined by sector, Bulgarian retail sales on a monthly basis increased by 6.3% in food products, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. In terms of retail sales growth in this sector, Bulgaria is in first place in the EU in January.

In December, compared to November, the volume of retail trade decreased in both the EU and the euro area, by 0.7% and 0.6% respectively.
In January, year-on-year, retail sales decreased by 0.6% in the EU and by 1%  in the eurozone.

In Bulgaria, retail sales in January compared to December increased by 0.3%, after going down by 0.7% in December.