Retail sales in Lithuania rose by 3.7% year-on-year in August, slowing from a 6.0% increase in July and marking the weakest pace of growth since February 2026. The deceleration was driven mainly by softer gains in retail trade excluding automotive fuel (5.7% vs. 8.2% in July) and in non-food products (9.2% vs. 12.3%). Within the non-food segment, growth eased notably in pharmaceuticals, medical goods and cosmetics (8.2% vs. 15.8%), as well as in textiles, clothing and footwear (10.0% vs. 10.7%).
Retail sales via mail-order houses or the internet also lost momentum, slowing to 3.2% from 7.0% in July, while sales of food, beverages and tobacco moderated to 0.8% from 2.6%. In contrast, sales of information and communication equipment, cultural and recreation goods, watches and jewellery strengthened, accelerating to 6.6% from 0.7%. Automotive fuel sales also improved, returning to growth with a 3.3% increase after a 2.3% decline in July.
On a month-on-month basis, retail sales inched up 0.1% in August, following a 0.8% rise in July.
