Due to the business closures in the Corona crisis, sales in individual retail sectors fell sharply in March 2020. At the same time, the strong demand for daily necessities led to increased sales in other areas, such as supermarkets and pharmacies.

According to provisional results of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), retail sales in Germany decreased by 2.8% in real terms (price-adjusted) and 1.5% in nominal terms (not price-adjusted) in March 2020 compared with March 2019.

After calendar and seasonal adjustment, sales in March 2020 were 5.6% lower in real terms and 5.7% lower in nominal terms compared to February 2020. This is the largest decline in sales compared to the previous month since January 2007.