Retail sales in Croatia increased by 5.7% in April 2022, rising for the 15th straight month, and at a faster pace than in March, indicating a further recovery of the national economy, the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) reported on Friday.

According to working-day adjusted data, retail sales in April increased by 0.3% compared with March whereas compared to April 2021 they increased by 5.7%.

Retail sales continued to increase on the year since February 2021, and April saw a faster rate compared to a 3.6% rate registered in March.

Retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco products decreased by 1.9% in April year on year whereas retail sales of non-food products, with the exception of fuel and lubricants, increased by 11.9%, DZS data indicates.

On the month, retail sales of food products decreased by 0.8% while sales of non-food products, with the exception of fuel and lubricants, increased by 0.2%.

In the first four months of 2022 retail sales increased by 3% in real terms year on year.

The increase in retail sales indicates the further recovery of the economy.

DZS released its first estimate of GDP in Q1 2022 on Friday, noting that GDP increased by 7% year on year, this being the fourth quarter in a row for the economy to recover following the coronavirus crisis.