Retail trade

In January 2020 the seasonally adjusted index of retail sales remained largely unchanged on the previous month (value 0.0%, volume +0.1%).

In the three months to January 2020, the value of retail sales increased by 0.1%, likewise the volume of sales rose by 0.3%.

In January 2020, both value and volume of sales were the highest since July 2019 in the year-on-year series, increasing by 1.4% and 1.3%, respectively.

Large scale distribution grew by 2.3% compared with January 2019, while small-scale distribution contracted by 0.2%.

Non-store retail sales data are provided within this release for the first time. In January 2020, non-store sales were up 0.6% in the year-on-year series.

In January 2020, internet sales increased by 15.8% compared with the same month a year earlier.

Looking at the value of sales for non-food products, the largest growths were reported for cosmetic and toilet articles (+3.3%) and computers and telecommunications equipment (+2.1%), while the largest falls reported concerned pharmaceutical products (-1.8%) and stationery, books, newspapers and magazines (-0.4%).