Hungary’s retail sales rose by 3.5% year-on-year in January 2026, matching the growth rate recorded in December 2025. Within this, sales of automotive fuel accelerated notably, increasing by 5.7% compared with 1.7% in the previous month.
Non-food retail turnover also strengthened, rising by 4.7% after a 4.4% increase in December. Growth was particularly robust in textiles, clothing, and footwear (up 6.7% vs 1.2%), as well as in computer equipment and other similar products (up 4.4% vs 2.8%) and in books, computer equipment, and related items (up 3.3% vs 2.4%).
By contrast, food retail growth slowed to 1.2% from 2.0% in December, largely due to a sharper contraction in specialized food and beverage stores, where sales fell by 6.5% after a 3.2% decline in the previous month.
On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, overall retail trade edged up by 0.5% in January, following a 0.4% increase in December.
