According to the provisional data from Federal Statistical Office (FSO), real turnover in the retail sector also adjusted for sales days and holidays fell by 0.7% in April 2019 compared with the previous year. Real growth takes inflation into consideration. Economists had expected a 0.8% decrease. Compared with the previous month, real, seasonally adjusted retail trade turnover registered an increase of 0.2%.

Adjusted for sales days and holidays, the retail sector excluding service stations showed a 0.2% decrease in nominal turnover in April 2019 compared with April 2018 (in real terms –0.6%). Retail sales of food, drinks and tobacco registered an increase in nominal turnover of 1.9% (in real terms +0.9%), whereas the non-food sector registered a nominal negative of 2.1% (in real terms –2.0%).

Excluding service stations, the retail sector showed a seasonally adjusted increase in nominal turnover of 0.2% compared with the previous month (in real terms +0.2%). Retail sales of food, drinks and tobacco registered a plus of 1.1% (in real terms +1.0%). The non-food sector showed a minus of 0.2% (in real terms 0.0%).