Retail sales in Croatia increased by 2.0% year-on-year in April 2026, down from a 3.3% rise in March and marking the weakest growth since November of the previous year. The slowdown reflected more moderate gains in sales of food, beverages, and tobacco (2.6% vs 3.2% in March), as well as in non-food products excluding automotive fuels and lubricants (2.8% vs 8.0%).
At the same time, sales of automotive fuels and lubricants fell sharply (-15.1% vs -5.0% in March), while internet and mail-order retail sales also turned negative (-3.6% vs +3.7%). By contrast, retail trade in specialised stores excluding automotive fuels and lubricants rose by 3.9%, after a 4.6% increase in March.
On a monthly basis, retail trade declined by 0.2% in April, following a 0.9% rise in March. Over the January–April period, retail sales were up 2.8% compared with the same period a year earlier.
