European Union Retail Sales

About this data

Seasonally and calendar-adjusted monthly retail sales index (2021=100) for the Euro area and the EU, covering both sales volume and turnover. The table presents both sales VOLUME (deflated) and nominal TURNOVER—during periods of high inflation, these two series diverge significantly, and only volume accurately reflects real purchasing power. It includes two breakdowns: food and non-food (excluding automotive fuel). The middle section of the table (keyed with `trd-`) covers the ENTIRE trade sector by sales volume: wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, wholesale trade, and retail trade—broken down down to specific store types, including automotive fuel and retail sales via mail order houses or the Internet. This breakdown reveals where Europeans are cutting spending: since 2022, retail sales of household appliances and cultural/recreational goods have declined sharply, while food retail has remained virtually flat—a typical sign of households retreating to essentials as real incomes are eroded by inflation. The mail order and Internet retail branch shows a pandemic-era surge followed by a structurally higher plateau compared to pre-2020 levels. The table also includes WHOLESALE and AUTOMOTIVE branches often omitted by other sources, even though wholesale trade reacts earliest to the corporate inventory cycle. The final section of the table (keyed with `svc-`) is the SERVICES output index: transportation and storage, accommodation and food service, information and communication, and administrative and support service activities. Services account for approximately three-quarters of Euro area GDP, yet they constitute the latest-released monthly statistics—the time series begins only in 2000, and Eurostat publishes these figures roughly one month later than industrial production; Eurostat calculates them at the aggregate level only. The accommodation and food service sector experienced the deepest collapse during the pandemic and subsequently saw the strongest recovery. Source: Eurostat.