Retail turnover increases in May
According to figures released by Statistics Estonia, the turnover of retail trade enterprises in Estonia increased 3% year-on-year (y-o-y) in May 2018 at constant prices, compared with 1% in April 2018, y-o-y.
Total turnover of retail trade enterprises in Estonia stood at €630.2 million in May 2018.
The breakdown of categories in retail is as follows (figures courtesy of Statistics Estonia and correct as of 29 June 2018:
| Retail Outlet Category | % Change in turnover y-o-y |
| Manufactured goods | 6 |
| Household goods and appliances, hardware and building materials | 15 |
| Mail order or online shops | 11 |
| Non-specialised stores eg. department stores, selling predominantly manufactured goods | 9 |
| Textiles, clothing and footwear | 8 |
| Pharmacies and stores selling cosmetics | 7 |
| Groceries | 2 |
| Enterprises engaged in retail sales of automotive fuel | -1 |
Couple of other sectors saw a slight fall
Thus most sectors enjoyed an increase in turnover y-o-y except those selling fuel, which saw a slight fall, as well as 'other specialised stores', such as shops selling predominantly computers and their accessories, books, sports equipment, games, toys, etc. not listed above, which saw a slight fall y-o-y in May together with outlets selling second-hand goods and in non-store retail sale (market stalls, street stalls, direct sales etc.) which also fell over the same period.
Month to month retail figures
As regards month-on-month changes, the turnover of retail trade enterprises increased 12% in May 2018 compared with April, giving a seasonally and working-day adjusted increase of 3%.
In the five months of 2018 (January–May), the turnover of retail trade enterprises saw a y-o-y increase of 1% compared with the same period in 2017.
Statistics Estonia is is a government agency under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance. Its main role is to provide public institutions, business and research circles, international organisations and individuals with reliable and objective information on the economic, demographic, social and environmental situation and trends in Estonia.
The retail turnover data above is based on the VAT declaration data of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA).
Editor: Andrew Whyte
Source: Statistics Estonia
