Increase in retail sales in April

Economic indicators
Increase in retail sales in April

The volume of sales, excluding fuels, has sharply increased by 16.70% in April 2021 compared to the same month last year. Over the same period, the sharpest increases were registered for ‘Other retail sale in non-specialised stores’, ‘Retail sale of information and communication equipment in specialised stores’, ‘Other household equipment in specialised stores’ and ‘Textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods in specialised stores’, i.e. increases of 354.66%, 107.56%, 94.07% and 82.78%, respectively.

The sharpest decrease was registered for ‘Retail trade not in stores, stalls or markets’, i.e. a fall of 4.05%.

Comparisons with April 2019

As the shops deemed non-essential were closed during part of April 2020, we can also compare the current results with those of April 2019. The sharpest increases can then be observed for ‘Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet’, ‘Retail trade not in stores, stalls or markets’ and ‘Other household equipment in specialised stores’, i.e. increases of 57.33%, 45.06% and 20.30%, respectively.

The sharpest decreases were observed in ‘Textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods in specialised stores’ and ‘Automotive fuel in specialised stores’, i.e. decreases of 38.39% and 6.46%.

The volume of sales in retail trade, excluding fuels, has increased by 7.79% in April 2021 compared to the same month in 2019.

These indices are expressed with reference year 2015=100.

From January 2021 and following the new European FRIBS regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/2152), breakdowns at the retail level have changed. As a result, some breakdowns no longer exist and new ones have been implemented. Our methodology also changed. The main data source is the VAT declaration of enterprises to the FPS Finances, and no longer a survey. Only +/- 340 major enterprises will continue to answer the survey. The indices have been recalculated with the new methodology since 2010.