Hungary’s retail sales volume continued to expand in May, exceeding the level of a year earlier by 3.8% in unadjusted terms and by 4.8% after calendar adjustment, according to the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH).
The calendar-adjusted growth rate matches the average increase recorded by the sector during the first five months of the year. Between January and May, the strongest growth was recorded at fuel stations (+10.1%), followed by the non-food segment (+5.7%) and food retail (+2.6%). Consumers remained cautious in purchasing staple food products at the beginning of the year, but increased their purchasing volume by more than 3% over the following three months.
In May, KSH recorded a total retail sales volume of HUF 1,765 billion (EUR 4.9 billion). In addition to second-hand goods retailers (-5%), tobacco shops specializing in tobacco products also reported declining sales (-1.5%). Excluding the latter, food retail sales increased by more than 4.5%, while sales of industrial goods, furniture, and household appliances each rose by 5–5.5%. Clothing sales grew by 7.5%, fuel sales by 8.5%, and products sold in drugstores and pharmacies by 9%. The strongest growth, however, was recorded in online orders, which increased by 15%.