The Czech Republic's retail sales growth accelerated in March as a significant rise in sales were observed in non-food stores, data from the Czech Statistical Office showed on Tuesday.
Retail sales, except motor vehicles and motor cycles, rose a calendar-adjusted 5.4 percent year-on-year in March, faster than a 4.1 percent increase seen in February.
The recent upturn was mainly driven by a 8.4 percent sales growth in non-food stores, which were closed last year as result of anti-epidemic measures.
On a monthly basis, retail sales dropped 0.1 percent in March.
Sales of specialized stores selling clothing and footwear jumped 211.0 percent in March compared to last year.
Retail sale of automotive fuel in specialized stores surged 18.8 percent annually in March.
On the other hand, a decrease of 19.0 in the retail sale via mail order houses or via internet was influenced by a high comparison basis of the previous year, Jana Gotvaldova, head of the Trade, Transport, and Services Statistics Unit, said.
Retail sales rose 6.3 percent year-on-year for the first quarter.
