Calendar adjusted retail sales index rose by 0.3% and 0.6% in both the euro area and the EU in May. Credit: Halfpoint/Shutterstock.

The Euro area and the European Union’s (EU) retail trade volume, seasonally adjusted in May 2024, has increased by a modest 0.1% month-on-month (MoM), according to data from the EU statistical office, Eurostat. 

This follows a 0.2% decline in April 2024. 

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The calendar-adjusted retail sales index rose by 0.3% in the euro area and 0.6% in the EU, compared with the same period of the previous year. 

In the Euro area, the retail trade volume for food, drinks and tobacco saw a rise of 0.7% in May MoM compared with April 2024. 

Non-food products (excluding automotive fuel) registered a 0.2% decline in retail trade volume over the month, while automotive fuel in specialised stores experienced a 0.4% increase.  

In the EU, food, drinks, and tobacco sales grew by 1.2% in May 2024 compared with April 2024, but non-food products saw a 0.4% decrease. 

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During the month, Denmark, Lithuania, and Luxembourg led the increases in retail trade volume, with gains of 2.3%, 1.8%, and 1.7% respectively. 

Slovakia, Ireland, Bulgaria, and Malta faced the steepest declines. 

Compared with the same month of the previous year, the euro area’s retail trade volume in May 2024 for for non-food products (excluding automotive fuel) increased by 0.7%, and food, drinks and tobacco recorded 0.3% growth. 

In the EU, the volume of retail trade increased by 0.7% for food, drinks and tobacco. There was a 0.9% increase for non-food products. 

Regionally, retail trade volume grew 10.4% in Luxembourg and 8.4% and 6.5% in Croatia and Romania respectively in May 2024 compared with the same period a year earlier.

Belgium recorded the largest retail trade volume decline at 5.2% during the month.