According to Eurostat data published today, retail trade in our country grew almost the fastest in the entire Union.
In May compared to April, this indicator rose by 1.8 percent in Lithuania, when a 1.3 percent fall was recorded a month before. In the European Union and the Eurozone, retail sales grew by 0.1 percent each (expected to rise twice as fast in the Eurozone), after falling by 0.2 percent in April.
In the fifth month of this year, sales of food, beverages and tobacco in the common currency area grew by 0.7 percent, motor fuel – by 0.4 percent, while sales of non-food products fell by 0.2 percent. In the European Union, during the mentioned period, sales of food, beverages and tobacco increased by 1.2 percent, fuel remained unchanged, while non-food products fell by 0.4 percent.
Among the EU countries, according to Eurostat data, retail trade grew fastest in May in Denmark (2.3 percent), our country and Luxembourg (1.7 percent). Meanwhile, this indicator fell the most in Slovakia (by one percent) and Ireland, where it contracted by 0.9 percent.
Compared to May last year, retail trade in Lithuania grew by 5.1 percent, compared to 2.4 percent the month before. In the Eurozone, the annual growth of this indicator halved to 0.3 percent, while in the European Union it increased from 0.4 to 0.6 percent.
In the common currency area, sales of food, beverages and tobacco increased by 0.3 percent, non-food products – by 0.7 percent, and fuel decreased by 0.6 percent. In the European Union, sales of food, beverages and tobacco rose by 0.7 percent, non-food products – by 0.9 percent, and fuel fell by 0.8 percent.
According to Eurostat data, among the EU countries, the fastest growing retail trade volume was in Luxembourg (10.4 percent) and Croatia, where it grew by 8.4 percent. Meanwhile, the biggest drop was recorded in Belgium (5.2 percent) and Estonia, where retail sales contracted by four percent.
