It was the largest drop since November 2020, due mainly to the sharp decline in sales for automotive fuel (-23.6% vs -7.7% in April).

Moreover, trade also decreased for food, beverages & tobacco (-3.6% vs 1.7%) and non-food products (-9.1% vs -1.4%).

On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail sales went down 5.3%, following a 2.3% fall in April.