New figures published on Monday show turnover fell 4 percent on year in August 2024 to €889 million.

Johanna Linda Pihlak, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said the trend has followed this path for 24 months.

"The drop in the volume of retail trade turnover in August was mainly due to stores selling manufactured goods and grocery stores, as the turnover volume of each decreased by 4 percent year on year," Pihlak added.

Among stores selling manufactured goods, the biggest decline – 12 percent – was in stores selling household goods and appliances, hardware and building materials.

Turnover volume decreased by 6 percent in stores selling via mail order or the internet, by 5 percent in other non-specialised stores selling predominantly manufactured goods (department stores), and by 4 percent in stores selling textiles, clothing and footwear.

The volume of turnover rose by 3 percent in other specialized stores selling predominantly computers and their accessories, books, sports equipment, games, and toys.

There was also a 2 percent rise in stores selling second-hand goods and non-store retail sale (stalls, markets, and direct sale).

In pharmacies and stores selling cosmetics, the volume of turnover remained at the previous year's level.

Businesses selling automotive fuel saw a 1 percent drop on year.

In comparison with July 2024, retail trade declined by 1 percent in August. According to the seasonally and working-day adjusted data, turnover remained at the previous month's level.

In the first eight months of 2024, the turnover volume of retail trade enterprises decreased by 4 percent compared with the same period of the previous year.

More data can be viewed on the Statistics Estonia website.

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