The decline in the volume of retail trade turnover in July was due to stores selling manufactured goods and grocery stores, each of which saw turnover volume decrease by 3 percent compared with July 2023, Statistics Estonia analyst Johanna Linda Pihlak said according to a press release.

"On the other hand, the turnover volume of enterprises engaged in the retail sale of automotive fuel continued to increase in July, and was up by 4 percent on year," she added.

Among stores selling manufactured goods, the biggest decline, at 9 percent, was registered in the turnover volume of other specialized stores selling predominantly computers and their accessories, books, sports equipment, games, toys, etc. Turnover volume also decreased by 6 percent in stores selling household goods and appliances, hardware and building materials, and by 4 percent in stores selling textiles, clothing and footwear.

Turnover volume increased, meanwhile, by 8 percent in pharmacies and stores selling cosmetics, by 3 percent in stores selling second-hand goods and non-store retail sale (e.g. stalls, markets and direct sale), and by 1 percent in other non-specialized stores selling predominantly manufactured goods (i.e. department stores). On year, turnover volume remained unchanged in stores selling via mail order or the internet.

Compared with June, the volume of retail trade turnover in July increased by 4 percent. According to the seasonally and working-day adjusted data, turnover volume was up by 1 percent on month.

In the first seven months of 2024, the turnover volume of Estonia's retail trade enterprises was down 4 percent on year.

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