Retail trade turnover in the European Union and the euro area recovered slightly in August, and Croatia was one of the countries with the highest year-on-year increase, Eurostat estimates showed on Wednesday.

In August seasonally adjusted retail trade turnover in the EU went up by 0.3% compared to July, when it fell by 2.1% according to revised data.

Retail trade in the euro area also increased by 0.3%, after falling by a revised 2.6% decline in July.

In both the EU and the euro area, only retail trade of non-food products saw an increase, of 1.8%.

Retail trade of fuel dropped by 0.3% in the EU and by 0.1% in the euro area.

Retail trade of food, beverages and tobacco products fell by 1.5% in the EU and by 1.7% in the euro area.

Compared to August 2020, when governments relaxed the measures for curbing the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade in the EU rose by 1.1%, after a 3.8% drop in July.

In the euro area turnover remained unchanged, after a 3.1% decline in the previous month.

Malta and Ireland register highest increase in retail trade

Among the EU member states for which data are available, the highest increases in the volume of retail trade in August were registered in Malta (+2.7%), Ireland (+2.5%) and Slovakia (+2%).

Croatia is close with an increase of 1.7% in retail trade, compared to July, when it registered a revised 1.6% increase.

The volume of retail trade decreased the most in Denmark (-1.4%), Estonia (-1.2%) and France (-1.2%).

Among the EU member states for which data are available, Malta registered a highest year-on-year increase in retail trade turnover in August, of 19.6%.

It is followed by Croatia with an increase in retail trade of 18.1% on the year. In July, it registered a 12.9% increase.