Romania’s retail turnover in 2015, the highest in EU

In 2015, the retail turnover volume (excluding the trade with motor vehicles and motorcycles), increased as gross series by 8.9 percent compared to the previous year, National Institute of Statistics (INS) data show on Wednesday. This was due to the increments registered by the sale of food, beverages and tobacco (+19.1 percent), by the retail of automotive fuel in specialised stores (+5.8 percent) and by the sale of non-food products (+2.8 percent).

Among EU Member States, Romania recorded the highest increase, according to Eurostat data, by 14.3 percent, followed by Ireland (+6.1 percent), Estonia (+5.8 percent) and Poland (+5.5 percent), while decreases were observed in Portugal (-1.3 percent), Belgium (-1.2 percent) and Denmark (-0.3 percent). 

The 1.4 percent increase in the volume of retail trade in the euro area in December 2015, compared with December 2014, is due to rises of 1.8 percent for non-food products and of 0.8 percent for “Food, drinks and tobacco”, while automotive fuel fell by 0.8 percent. In the EU28, the 2 percent increase in retail trade volume is due to rises of 2.3 percent for non-food products, of 1.5 percent for “Food, drinks and tobacco” and of 0.1 percent for automotive fuel.

Returning to INS data, as against the previous month, in December 2015 the retail turnover, gross series, globally increased by 8.6 percent due to the increments registered by the sale of food, beverages and tobacco (+23.3 percent) and by the sale of non-food products (+5.8 percent). Drops were registered by the retail of automotive fuel in specialised stores (-9.5 percent).

At the same time, as adjusted series according to the number of working days and to seasonality, the retail turnover globally increased by 0.6 percent due to the increments registered by the sale of non-food products (+0.5 percent) and by the sale of food, beverages and tobacco (+0.3 percent). Drops were registered by the retail of automotive fuel in specialised stores (-4.1 percent).

INS data also reveal that as against December 2014, in December 2015 the retail turnover volume, gross series, registered an increase of 15.5 percent due to the increments registered by the sale of food, beverages and tobacco (+25.3 percent), by the sale of non-food products (+13.3 percent) and by the retail of automotive fuel in specialised stores (+2.4 percent).