Retail trade increased in August, but fell by 5% in the first eight months of 2026

Romania’s retail trade grew in August 2026 compared with the previous month, but cumulative results since the beginning of the year indicate a decline of approximately 5% compared with the same period in 2025, according to data published Tuesday, October 6, by the National Institute of Statistics.

Retail turnover volume, excluding motor vehicle and motorcycle sales, increased by 0.5% in August compared with July, in unadjusted terms. After adjustment for the number of working days and seasonality, the increase was 2.3%.

The positive trend was mainly supported by sales of non-food products, which rose by 2%. Sales of food, beverages and tobacco increased by 0.4%, while fuel retail sales fell by 2.5%.

Compared with August 2025, retail trade increased by 0.9% in unadjusted terms, but the adjusted increase was only 0.1%. Non-food products and fuel recorded increases, while sales of food, beverages and tobacco declined.

In January–August 2026, retail turnover volume fell by 5% in unadjusted terms. The largest declines were recorded for non-food products, at 6.1%, followed by food, beverages and tobacco, at 4.2%, and fuel, at 3.6%.