Romania's Q1 retail sales rise 5.5% y/y

Sales of food, beverages and tobacco edged up by an annual 0.9% during January-March, non-food sales rose 11.5% and sales of fuels climbed 3.2%, the statistical office said in a statement.

Based on unadjusted data, retail sales climbed 6.4% on the year between January and March. In March alone, Romania's retail sales increased by an adjusted 4.3% year-on-year.

As against the previous month, the adjusted retail turnover volume in March inched up by 0.7% thanks to 2.1% higher sales of automotive fuels. The sales of non-food products remained flat, while the sales of food, beverages, and tobacco ticked down by 0.4%. The figures do not include trade in motor vehicles and motorcycles.