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In December, the volume of retail trade was 3.5% higher in calendar-adjusted terms than in the same month of the previous year, while seasonally adjusted figures show a modest 0.2% increase compared to November.
Food retailing recorded moderate growth in December, with sales volumes in specialized and non-specialized food shops increasing by 2.1% year-on-year. Within this category, non-specialized food and beverage outlets, which account for nearly four-fifths of food retailing, posted a 3.3% rise, while specialized food, beverage, and tobacco stores saw a 3.1% decline.
Non-food retailing delivered stronger performance overall, with volumes up 4.3% compared to December 2024. The largest increases were recorded in second-hand goods shops, where sales surged by 13%, followed by non-specialized stores selling manufactured goods at 10%. Pharmaceutical, medical goods and cosmetics outlets grew by 6.6%, furniture and electrical goods stores by 3.2%, books, computer equipment and other specialized stores by 2.2%, and textiles, clothing and footwear shops by 1.2%.
Online and mail-order retailing, accounting for 9.3% of total retail sales and covering a wide range of products, expanded by 2.8% in volume terms.
Automotive fuel retailing also contributed to overall growth, with sales volumes increasing by 1.7% year-on-year in December. By contrast, sales in motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories stores, which are not included in retail statistics, declined by 1.2%.
At current prices, domestic retail sales totaled HUF 1.975 trillion in December. Of this, some 49% was generated by specialized and non-specialized food shops, 39% by non-food retailing and 12% by automotive fuel stations.
Looking at 2025 as a whole, calendar-adjusted data show retail trade volumes rising by 2.9% compared to the previous year. Food retailing increased by 2.5%, non-food retail by 4.4%, while automotive fuel sales edged up by 0.8%.
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