In May 2020, Croatia was among the EU countries with the strongest recovery of retail trade, considerably above the EU average, following the easing of the Covid-19 containment measures, according to a report released by Eurostat on Monday.

The seasonally-adjusted volume of retail trade increased by 16.4% in the European Union in May compared with April, when it decreased by 11.4%. In the euro area, retail sales rose by 17.8% from the previous month when they contracted by 12.1%.

The figures reflected the gradual relaxation of measures adopted by national governments to contain the spread of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus.

The volume of retail trade in textiles, clothing and footwear more than doubled, while retail trade in automotive fuels also rose sharply compared with April, by 31.9% in the EU and 38.4% in the euro area. Retail trade in food, drinks and tobacco rose more modestly, by 2.1% in the EU and 2.2% in the euro area.

All EU countries recorded monthly increases in retail sales except Bulgaria where they remained unchanged.

The highest increases were recorded in Luxembourg (+28.6%), France (+25.6%) and Austria (+23.23%), while the lowest growth rates were reported in Sweden (+0.6%), Finland (+2.7%) and Slovakia (+5.6%).

In Croatia, the seasonally-adjusted volumen of retail trade rose by 21.4% in May compared with April when it fell by 20.6%. Romania saw an increase in retail sales of 20.1%.