INS: Romania Retail Sales Down In May Vs April

07.03.2015 By Bogdan Neagu

Domestic consumption in Romania couldn’t find its footing in May, after it returned to growth in the previous month, official data showed Friday.

Romania retail sales fell 0.8% in May compared with the previous month in data adjusted for the number of working days and seasonal factors, the statistics institute INS said. In April, retail sales were up 3.1% on the month.

Fuel sales declined 1.8% on the month in May, while sales of food, beverages and tobacco products were down 0.1%. On the other hand, sales of non-food products went up 0.4% against April.

Against the similar period of 2014, the adjusted retail sales were up 4.2% in May, a slowdown from a 7.5% growth in April.

Food sales rose 9.4% year-on-year in May, while sales of fuels increased 8.3%. Sales of non-food items were down 1.7% compared with May 2014, the data showed.

In the first five months of the year, Romania retail sales posted a 4.3% increase compared with the same period of 2014.

In unadjusted data, retail sales were down 2% in May from a month earlier, but they were up 3.1% compared with the same period of 2014.