Brussels – Retail trade volumes are falling. According to Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, in June 2026 there was a 0.3 per cent fall in the euro area and a 0.1 per cent drop across the European Union as a whole compared with the previous month. However, when comparing the figures with those from June 2025, there was an increase of 0.7 per cent in the euro area and 1.2 per cent across the EU.
The data also show that in June 2026, the seasonally adjusted volume – that is, the figure adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, that is, those regular variations that recur every year at the same time due to climatic factors and/or public holidays – fell by 0.3 per cent in the euro area and by 0.1 per cent in the EU, again compared with May 2026.
Looking in detail at the various sectors, Eurostat reports that, over one month – between May and June 2026 – in the euro area, volumes fell by 0.5 per cent for food, drinks and tobacco, and by 0.4 per cent for non-food products – excluding motor fuels. By contrast, it rose by 1.5 per cent for motor fuel in specialised stores. Over the same period, in the EU, there was a 0.4 per cent fall for food, drinks and tobacco and 0.3 per cent for non-food products. As in the euro area, the volume of retail trade in motor fuel increased by 1.7 per cent.
Eurostat points out that, among the various Member States, the largest monthly decreases were recorded in Finland (-1.5 per cent), Romania (-1.2 per cent) and Germany (-1.1 per cent), while the most significant increases were recorded in Luxembourg (+2.5 per cent), Portugal (+1.7 per cent), Croatia, and Sweden (both +1.5 per cent).
Compared with June 2025, volume in the eurozone increased by 0.9 per cent for food, drink and tobacco and by 1.7 per cent for non-food products. As regards fuel, a decrease of 6.6 per cent was recorded. Over the same period, trade volumes in the EU rose by 0.7 per cent for food, drink, and tobacco and by 2.3 per cent for non-food products, while motor fuel fell by 4.1 per cent.
Among the Member States, the highest annual increases were recorded in Luxembourg (+8.3 per cent), Sweden (+7.2 per cent), and Bulgaria (+7.1 per cent), while the largest decreases were in Romania (-6.6 per cent), Austria (-0.3 per cent), Belgium, and Germany (both -0.1 per cent).
As regards Italy, from May to June 2026, the volume of trade rose by 0.2 per cent, while compared with 2025, there was an increase of 0.8 per cent.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
