In September of this year, retail turnover in Latvia increased by 2.7% compared to the same month last year, which is higher than the average in the European Union (EU) and the eurozone, according to data from 25 member countries of the bloc released on Thursday by the EU statistical office "Eurostat."
A similar growth, as in Latvia, was also recorded in Denmark and France.
The highest growth was noted in Cyprus (+8.5%), followed by Malta (+6.6%), Bulgaria (+5.7%), and Portugal (+4.8%). In Lithuania, retail turnover increased by 4.1%, while in Estonia it rose by 3.2%.
A decline during this period was recorded in Italy (-2.3%), Romania (-2.1%), Belgium (-0.8%), and Austria (-0.1%).
In the EU countries for which data is available, retail turnover in September increased by 1.3% year-on-year, while in the eurozone it grew by 1%.
Compared to August, the volume of retail trade in September remained stable in the EU, while in the eurozone it decreased by 0.1%.
The largest monthly decline in retail trade volume was noted in Lithuania (-1.1%), Latvia, and Slovenia (both -0.7%), as well as in Italy (-0.6%). The most significant growth was recorded in Luxembourg and Malta (both +1.7%), Estonia (+1.5%), and Slovakia (+1.4%). In Hungary and Sweden, retail trade volumes remained unchanged.
Data for the Czech Republic and Greece is not available.
