The temporary euphoria of the first recorded slight y/y growth in retail sales in March (0.2 percent) since December 2008 didn’t last long, as April figures show a 5.4 percent y/y downturn to €1.346 billion.
The Slovak Statistical Office put the return into the red down to lower sales of goods in specialised shops, where sales figures have slumped 11.9 percent y/y. Sales of fuels are down 6.7 percent, and other retail sales (excluding shops, i.e. kiosks and markets) dropped 4.4 percent, while household goods from specialised and non-specialised shops posted a decline of 1.3 percent. Overall, the first four months of the year saw retail sales down 2.8 percent to €5.220 billion. The wholesale sector was better off, enjoying growth of 3.9 percent y/y to €1.978 billion.
Month-on-month, pubs and restaurants posted a 2.8-percent drop, accommodation services a drop of 2 percent, retail sales 1.8 percent, and sales in the wholesale sector were down 1.3 percent.