Germany retail sales rose sharply in June compared to May

According to provisional data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), turnover in retail trade in June 2019 was in real terms 1.6% and in nominal terms 0.9% smaller than in June 2018. The number of days open for sale was 24 in June 2019 and 26 in June 2018.

Compared with the previous year, turnover in retail trade was in the first six months of 2019 in real terms 2.2% and in nominal terms 2.9% higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

When adjusted for calendar and seasonal variations, the June turnover was in real terms 3.5% and in nominal terms 3.6% higher than in May 2019. Economists had expected a 0.5% increase in real terms.

Retail trade in food, beverages and tobacco grew by 3.2% in real terms and 2.7% in nominal terms in June 2019 compared with June 2018, with sales in Super Markets, hypermarkets and consumer markets down by 3.0% in real terms and 2.6% in nominal terms.  In real terms, food retail sales declined by 4.6% in real terms and 3.2% in nominal terms compared with June 2018. 

In the retail trade of non-food products, sales in June 2019 fell by 0.6% in real terms compared with the same month of the previous year and rose by 0.2% in nominal terms. The largest increase in real terms was the Internet and mail order business, which recorded a real 1.4% and a nominal 1.8%.