Johanna Linda Pihlak, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that the decline in the volume of retail trade turnover in September was mainly due to stores selling manufactured goods, as their turnover volume decreased by 6 percent year on year.

"Among stores selling manufactured goods, the biggest decline at 10 percent was registered in the turnover volume of other specialized stores selling predominantly computers and their accessories, books, sports equipment, games, toys, etc., and also in the turnover volume of stores selling household goods and appliances, hardware and building materials," she said.

The decrease in turnover volume was 9 percent in stores selling textiles, clothing and footwear, and 3 percent in other non-specialised stores selling predominantly manufactured goods (department stores).

The volume of turnover increased by 5 percent in stores selling via mail order or the internet, by 3 percent in pharmacies and stores selling cosmetics, and by 1 percent in stores selling second-hand goods and non-store retail sale (stalls, markets, and direct sale).

Compared with September 2023, the turnover volume of grocery stores decreased by 4 percent. The turnover volume of enterprises engaged in the retail sale of automotive fuel took an upturn in September and rose by 3 percent year on year.

"The rise in the turnover volume of these enterprises was influenced by the falling prices of automotive fuels," Pihlak explained.

In September compared with August, the turnover volume of retail trade enterprises decreased by 5 percent. According to the seasonally and working-day adjusted data, turnover volume was down by 1 percent from the previous month.

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

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