Retail sales in Bulgaria increased by 5.7% year-on-year in September 2026, slightly below the 5.9% rise recorded in August. Growth in sales of food, beverages, and tobacco eased to 5.5% from 7.5% in the previous month.
In contrast, turnover in non-food products, excluding automotive fuels and lubricants, picked up, advancing 4.5% compared with 4.2% in August. This was driven by stronger sales in non-specialized stores (up 10.2% vs 7.1%) and in textiles, clothing, footwear, and leather goods (up 21.9% vs 13.1%). At the same time, sales fell in computer and communication equipment (-0.4% vs +4.6%) and in pharmaceutical and medical goods (-1.2% vs +0.6%).
Activity in automotive fuels and lubricants also strengthened, with sales rising 11.8% year-on-year, up from 8.3% in August.
On a monthly basis, retail sales grew by 0.7% in September, the strongest increase in six months, following an upwardly revised 0.4% gain in the prior month.
