Retail trade across the European Union showed mixed dynamics in March, with Bulgaria standing out as the strongest performer on an annual basis, according to Eurostat data.
On a monthly basis, retail sales in the euro area declined by 0.1%, following a 0.3% drop in February. Across the wider European Union, sales rose by 0.5% after a 0.5% contraction in the previous month. Growth was driven mainly by non-food products, while declines were recorded in food, beverages and tobacco, as well as automotive fuel sales.
In Bulgaria, retail trade expanded by 2.1% compared to February, when it had already posted a 2.2% increase. While this monthly rise was not the highest in the bloc, several countries recorded stronger gains, including Slovenia (+4.35%), Luxembourg (+4.0%), and Belgium (+3.6%). At the other end of the spectrum, Germany saw a 2.1% decline, while Malta, Italy, and Latvia also reported weaker performance.
On an annual basis, the contrast is more pronounced. Retail sales increased by 1.2% in the eurozone and by 1.9% across the EU as a whole, while Bulgaria recorded a sharp 12.4% rise compared with March of the previous year, following a 7.3% increase in February. This marked the strongest annual growth in the entire European Union.
Only Hungary (8.2%) and Malta (7.5%) also posted relatively strong yearly gains, while declines were registered in Romania (minus 2.3%) and Germany (minus 2.0%), underscoring the uneven recovery across member states. (Novinite)