Germany’s hospitality sales fell 1.3% in August in real terms

Germany’s hospitality industry posted lower sales in August, with the decline driven mainly by the restaurant and food service business, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the Federal Statistical Office, or Destatis.

Destatis said hospitality sales in August 2026 fell 1.3% in real terms from July after adjusting for prices, seasonal effects, and calendar effects. In nominal terms, which are not adjusted for inflation, sales fell 1.2% from the previous month.

Compared with August 2025, hospitality sales were down 4.2% in real terms but up 2.7% in nominal terms. The gap between the two measures shows that businesses brought in more money in current prices than a year earlier, but sold a lower volume once price changes were taken into account.

The data point to a weaker month after a revised gain in July. Destatis said July 2026 hospitality sales rose 1.9% in real terms from June, stronger than the initially reported 1.5% increase. The July nominal gain was also revised up, to 1.7% from a preliminary 1.3%.

Within the broader sector, hotels and other accommodation providers performed better than restaurants. Their sales in August rose 0.4% in real terms from July and 0.3% in nominal terms. From a year earlier, accommodation sales slipped 0.4% in real terms but increased 4.0% in nominal terms.

The restaurant and food service segment was weaker. Destatis said sales in gastronomy fell 1.8% in real terms in August from July and 1.7% in nominal terms. Compared with August 2025, sales in that segment dropped 5.4% in real terms, while nominal sales were up 2.4%.

That part of the report is likely to be watched closely by producers and distributors of wine, beer, spirits, and other beverages, because restaurants, bars, and similar venues are an important sales channel. A real decline in food service sales can point to softer drink demand in the hospitality trade, even if higher prices keep nominal revenue above year-earlier levels.

The figures come from a monthly business survey that measures net sales, meaning sales excluding value-added tax. Destatis said those sales are then adjusted using a matching price index based on net prices, also excluding VAT.

The agency also stressed that different comparisons serve different purposes. The month-to-month figures, adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects, are intended to show short-term economic momentum. The year-over-year comparison, adjusted for calendar effects, is used more as a gauge of the sector’s level over a longer period because it removes seasonal swings and calendar distortions.

Destatis said the hospitality business survey underwent a broad methodological update starting with the June 2026 reporting month. The changes include a switch to a new base year, 2021, and the use of Laspeyres indices instead of the earlier index method. The office said that change is intended to make trends at higher industry levels more consistent and methodologically harmonized.

Another change is that the reporting unit has shifted from legal entities to business fields within legal entities. Destatis said that should allow economic activities within a company to be recorded in more detail and assigned more precisely to the relevant industry branch.

The office warned that the methodological improvements can lead to relatively large revisions in some reporting months. That matters for anyone comparing the latest figures with earlier data, because part of the movement may reflect updated methods as well as actual business conditions.

Destatis also said hospitality statistics can differ from tourism statistics, especially in the summer months. One reason is timing. Revenue recorded by accommodation businesses does not always match the timing of overnight stays. The agency said methodological differences between the two statistical systems can also produce different results.

The new August figures add to signs of uneven demand in consumer-facing services in Germany. Hotels managed a small monthly increase, but the larger drop in restaurants and other food service businesses pulled down the overall hospitality result. Because the sector sits at the intersection of travel, leisure, and household spending, the data are often used as a timely signal for broader consumption trends.

For companies tied to the hospitality channel, including brewers, wineries, distillers, and soft drink suppliers, the August numbers may raise questions about the pace of spending in bars and restaurants heading into the fall. The nominal increase from a year earlier suggests businesses are still taking in more euros, but the real decline indicates customers are buying less once inflation is stripped out.

Destatis said long time series for monthly hospitality sales are available through its Genesis online database and that the results are also included in its economic dashboard, which combines high-frequency indicators on the economy, financial conditions, labor, construction, and energy. The office updates the first published estimates each month as late reports from surveyed businesses come in.