According to provisional data of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), turnover in retail trade in January 2021 was in real terms 4.5% and in nominal terms 3.9% lower than in December 2020 (both adjusted for calendar and seasonal influences). These results can be explained by the second COVID-19 lockdown, which led to a partial retail closure starting on 16 December 2020. Economists had expected a 0.3% decrease in nominal terms.

In comparison to February 2020, the month before the outbreak of Covid-19 in Germany, the turnover in January 2021 was 5.8% lower.

In January 2021, the turnover in retail trade was in real terms 8.7% and in nominal terms 7.4% lower than in January 2020. The number of days open for sale was 25 in January 2021, whereas 26 days were open for sale in January 2020.