In April 2021, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade fell by 3.1% in both the EU and the euro area, compared with March 2021, according to estimates from Eurostat, however, it rose 22.4% and 23.9%  respectively, when compared with April 2020.

The monthly comparison by retail sector shows that in the EU the volume of retail trade decreased by 4.7% for non-food products and by 1.9% for food, drinks and tobacco, while it remained stable for automotive fuels.

Among member states for which data are available, the largest monthly decreases in total retail trade were registered in Slovenia (-10.4%), Denmark (-8.6%) and France (-6.0%). The highest increases were observed in Portugal (+4.3%), Latvia (+3.8%) and Lithuania (+3.7%).

In Croatia, the monthly decrease in the volume of retail trade was 0.9%, after in March it shrank by 2.6% on the month.

Annual comparison by retail sector and by Member State

In the EU, the volume of retail trade increased by 54.3% for automotive fuels, by 38.6% for non-food products and by 3.4% for food, drinks and tobacco.

The volume of retail trade increased in all Member States for which data are available, with the highest annual increases being registered in Luxembourg (+46.1%), France (+42.1%) and Romania (+41.7%).

In April, Croatia experienced a 32.9% rise in the volume of retail trade year on year.