German retail sales rose sharply in November

According to estimates of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), retail turnover 2020 in Germany is expected to be between 3.9% and 4.3% in real terms higher than in 2019. In nominal terms turnover growth is expected between 5.1% and 5.5%. This estimation takes into account the lockdown in Germany starting in the second half of December 2020 as well as retail turnover from January until November 2020. In November 2020, turnover in retail trade was provisionally in real terms 1.9% and 1.7% in nominal terms higher than in October 2020.

In November 2020, the turnover in retail rose by 5.6% (real) and 6.5% (nominal) compared to the same month of the previous year. In comparison to February 2020, the month before the outbreak of Covid 19 in Germany, the turnover in November 2020 was 8.4% (in real terms, calendar and seasonally adjusted) higher.

Retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco were in real terms 0.8% and 3.4% in nominal terms higher in November 2020 than in November 2019. 

In the non-food retail sector, sales in November 2020 rose in real terms by 8.5% and in nominal terms by 8.8% compared with the same month of the previous year. The largest increase in turnover compared with the previous year's month in real terms by 31.8% and 33.1% in nominal terms was achieved by the internet and mail order business.