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In raw terms, the volume of retail trade grew by 3.4% year-on-year. Calendar-adjusted figures showed similar growth at 3.0%, driven primarily by gains in food and non-food retailing, while fuel sales remained largely flat.
Food retail sales increased by 3.1% year-on-year, supported by a 4.3% rise in non-specialized food and beverage shops, which make up about three-quarters of the food retail segment. Specialized food, beverage, and tobacco stores, however, reported no growth.
Non-food retailing performed slightly better overall, expanding by 3.5%. Within this category, sales rose by 5.8% in pharmaceutical, medical goods and cosmetics stores, by 3.3% in non-specialized shops dealing in manufactured goods, and by 1.5% in furniture and electrical goods outlets. In contrast, sales volumes declined by 1.1% in books, computer equipment and other specialized stores, by 1.5% in second-hand shops, and by 4.4% in textiles, clothing and footwear shops.
Online and mail-order retailing continued to grow at a robust pace, expanding by 9.5% year-on-year. This segment accounted for about 9% of all retail sales in September. Automotive fuel sales increased modestly, up 0.6% from a year earlier, while sales in motor vehicle and parts stores—tracked separately from retail—jumped 11%.
At current prices, domestic retail sales totaled HUF 1,661 billion in September. Nearly half (49%) of the total turnover came from specialized and non-specialized food shops, while 36% originated from non-food stores and 15% from automotive fuel stations.
For the first nine months of 2025, retail sales volumes were up 2.8% year-on-year based on calendar-adjusted data. Food sales increased by 2.7%, non-food by 4.2%, and automotive fuel by 0.7%.
Analysts say the steady growth reflects continued consumer resilience amid a stabilizing inflation environment, though the stagnation from August indicates that spending momentum may be slowing heading into the final quarter of the year.
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