Overview
Eurozone retail sales declined 0.6% month‑on‑month in July 2026, versus a consensus forecast for a 0.3% increase, according to Eurostat data released on 4 September 2026.
Monthly Breakdown
- Non‑food product sales fell 1.4%, offsetting a 0.4% rise in food, drink and tobacco purchases.
- Automotive fuel sales in specialised stores dropped 0.8% across the euro area.
- Across the wider European Union, overall retail trade volume fell 0.4%; non‑food products were down 1.1% and fuel sales down 1.1%, while food, drink and tobacco rose 0.3%.
Country‑Specific Performance
- Germany recorded the steepest monthly decline, with retail trade volume down 3.4%.
- Spain fell 0.9%; Italy and Poland each declined 0.3%.
- Latvia posted the largest monthly increase at 2.5%, followed by Cyprus (+2.0%) and Luxembourg (+1.8%).
Year‑on‑Year Comparisons
- Compared with July 2025, the calendar‑adjusted retail sales index rose 0.6% in the euro area and 1.0% in the EU.
- Food, drink and tobacco sales were up 1.6% YoY in the euro area; non‑food products edged up 0.2%; automotive fuel sales fell 3.1% YoY.
- On an annual basis, the biggest YoY increases were in Cyprus (+8.6%), Latvia (+7.1%) and Sweden (+6.4%).
- Romania experienced the steepest annual decline at –5.7%, followed by Germany (–2.5%) and Italy (–1.0%).
Revisions to June Data
- Eurostat revised June’s monthly change to +0.2% for both the euro area and the EU, up from the previously reported –0.3% (euro area) and –0.1% (EU).
- The annual change for June was revised to +1.4% in the euro area and +1.7% in the EU, from earlier estimates of +0.7% and +1.2% respectively.