In May 2021, the retail trade turnover went up for the fourth consecutive month, increasing by more than 16%, which indicates a continued recovery of spending amid the coronavirus crisis.

The state statistics bureau DZS said on Wednesday that the working-day adjusted retail trade turnover in May 2021 was 6.4% higher than in April 2021 in real terms, while jumping by 16.5% on the year.

That was the fourth straight month that consumption increased year on year after falling for 11 months in a row due to the pandemic.

The increase in May, however, was significantly slower than in April, when the retail trade turnover jumped by 34.4% on the year, the biggest leap since 2006.

In May 2021, the retail trade turnover of food, beverages and tobacco increased by 11.2% year on year, while the retail trade turnover of non-food products (except for automotive fuels and lubricants) increased by 18.2% y-o-y, the DZS reported.

In the first five months of 2021, retail trade turnover went up 13% on the year. In 2020 it dropped by 5.8%.