Retail sales in Switzerland rose 0.5% year-on-year in March 2026, falling short of market expectations for a 1% increase, after a downwardly revised 0.4% gain in February. Sales at service stations surged 5.3%, accelerating from a 1.4% rise in the previous month. By contrast, sales of food, beverages, and tobacco declined further (-1.6% vs -1.3%), while non-food sales excluding service stations lost momentum (0.9% vs 2.1%).
Within the non-food segment, a sharp rise in sales of cultural and recreational goods (7.0% vs 0.1%) and a rebound in sales via stalls, markets, mail order, and the internet (0.2% vs -1.7%) were partly offset by weaker demand for household equipment, textiles, DIY products, and furniture (-5.2% vs -1.0%), as well as for information and communication equipment (-1.0% vs -3.2%).
Excluding fuel, total retail sales fell 0.2%, reversing a downwardly revised 0.5% increase in February. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, overall sales edged up 0.1% in March, following a revised 0.1% decline in the previous month.
