Retail trade volume in December was up 0.4% in raw data terms and 0.1% on a calendar-adjusted basis compared to the same month in 2023.
However, seasonally and calendar-adjusted figures showed a 1.2% decline from November, largely due to consumers shifting Christmas purchases earlier in the season and an uptick in outbound travel.
For the full year 2024, retail sales increased 2.6% on a calendar-adjusted basis compared to 2023.
The performance of different retail sectors varied significantly in December. Sales in specialized and non-specialized food retailing rose 1.2%, with non-specialized food and beverage stores, which account for 78% of total food retailing, reporting a 1.2% increase, while specialized food, beverage, and tobacco stores saw a 1.8% growth.
Non-food retailing posted a 0.5% increase, with notable gains in furniture and electrical goods stores (+5.5%) and pharmaceutical, medical goods, and cosmetics shops (+4.7%). However, declines were recorded in second-hand goods stores (-1.6%), textiles, clothing, and footwear shops (-3.6%), and books, computer equipment, and other specialized stores (-5.8%).
Online and mail-order retail, which accounts for 8.9% of total retail sales, grew by 0.5% in December.
A sharp 6.9% decline was observed in automotive fuel retailing, which KSH attributed to a significant base effect from the previous year. In contrast, sales in motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts stores, which are not classified under retail data, surged 20%.
In December, domestic retail sales reached HUF 1,894 billion at current prices. Specialized and non-specialized food shops contributed 49% of national retail turnover, non-food retail trade accounted for 38%, and automotive fuel stations represented 13%.
For the full year, retail trade volume grew 2.6% compared to 2023. The strongest performance came from specialized and non-specialized food retailing (+3.7%) and non-food retail trade (+2.4%), while automotive fuel retail sales fell slightly by 0.1%.
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