Retail sales in Slovakia increased by 0.9% year-on-year in May 2026, rebounding from a 0.2% decline in April. The overall improvement was driven in particular by higher activity in specialized stores selling cultural and recreational goods (up 23.3% vs 15.5% in April) and ICT equipment (up 12.9% vs 8.9%).
Declines also eased in several segments: sales of automotive fuel in specialized stores fell only 1.1% (compared with 5.8% previously), and the drop in hypermarkets and supermarkets narrowed to 3.0% (from 7.3%).
At the same time, growth slowed slightly in other household equipment in specialized stores (11.7% vs 11.9%) and in other goods in specialized stores (6.2% vs 7.0%). Activity weakened further in food, beverages, and tobacco (-7.2% vs -4.6%), in sales via stalls and markets (-18.4% vs -14.2%), and in trade conducted outside shops, stalls, and markets (-12.9% vs -9.2%).
On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, retail sales edged up by 0.1% in May, following a 1.8% contraction in the previous month.
