Eurozone retail sales fell by 0.7% month-on-month in September 2026, following an upwardly revised 0.4% increase in August and significantly undershooting market expectations of a 0.1% decline. The contraction matched July’s sharp drop and represented the steepest monthly declines since June 2024. By category, sales of non-food products decreased 1.2%, reversing a 0.6% rise in August, while sales of food, drinks, and tobacco slipped 0.3% after a 0.4% gain in the previous month. In contrast, automotive fuel sales increased 1.0%, rebounding after two consecutive monthly declines.
Among the eurozone’s largest economies, retail trade fell sharply in Germany (-2.0% vs. +1.2% in August), followed by the Netherlands (-0.7% vs. +0.5%), France (-0.6% vs. +0.3%), and Spain (-0.4% vs. +0.2%). Italy was the sole exception, with sales edging up 0.1% after remaining flat in August. On an annual basis, eurozone retail sales growth slowed to 0.4% in September from 1.3% in August, also coming in below market expectations of 0.6%.
