In September 2022, retail trade in the EU and the euro zone increased slightly for the first time since May. Meanwhile in Croatia retail trade recorded its largest year-on-year drop, of 2.3 percent, in 2022 to date, according to data released by the EU's statistics bureau Eurostat report on Tuesday.

The seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade increased by 0.4 percent in the EU and euro zone compared with August 2022. The volume of retail trade for non-food products increased more than food items, by 1 percent in both the EU and the euro zone. The volume of retail trade of food, beverages and tobacco increased by 0.3 percent in the EU and by 0.4 percent in the euro zone.

Among member states for which data are available, the largest year-on-year decreases in the total retail trade volume were registered in Ireland (-6.8 percent), Denmark (-6.3 percent) and Estonia (-5.9 percent). The highest increases were observed in Slovenia (+23.9 percent), Poland (+8.4 percent) and Malta (+7.4 percent).

In Croatia, the volume of retail trade in September fell by 2.3 percent year-on-year after a 1.7 percent decrease in August. In July, it stagnated, ending a four-month positive streak.