Euro Area Retail Sales Slip in March

Retail sales in the euro area edged down 0.1% in March from February, while sales across the European Union rose 0.3%, according to first estimates released Monday by Eurostat, the bloc’s statistics office. The figures followed declines in February, when retail trade volume fell 0.3% in the euro area and 0.5% in the EU.

Compared with March 2025, seasonally adjusted retail sales increased 1.2% in the euro area and 1.9% in the EU. Eurostat said the monthly movement reflected mixed trends across major retail categories, with food, drinks and tobacco down 0.3% in the euro area and 0.1% in the EU. Sales of non-food products, excluding automotive fuel, rose 0.6% in the euro area and 1% in the EU, while automotive fuel sold in specialized stores fell 1.6% in the euro area and 0.8% in the EU.

Among member states with available data, Slovenia posted the largest monthly increase in total retail trade volume at 4.3%, followed by Luxembourg at 4% and Belgium at 3.6%. Germany recorded the sharpest decline at 2.1%, while Malta fell 0.4%, and Italy and Latvia each slipped 0.1%.

On an annual basis, retail sales of food, drinks and tobacco rose 0.8% in the euro area and 1% in the EU. Non-food products, excluding automotive fuel, increased 2.3% in the euro area and 3.1% in the EU, while automotive fuel sales declined 2.1% in the euro area and were down 0.1% in the EU.

The strongest yearly gains among member states were recorded in Bulgaria, where retail trade volume jumped 12.4%, Hungary at 8.2% and Malta at 7.5%. Romania posted a decline of 2.3%, and Germany fell 2%.