Retail sales in Bulgaria increased by 7.4% year-on-year in April 2026, slowing from the 12.4% surge recorded in March. Growth eased across all major categories, including sales of food, beverages, and tobacco (up 2.7% vs 3.6% in March); automotive fuels in specialized stores (8.6% vs 18.6%); and non-food products excluding fuel (10.1% vs 16.4%).
Within the non-food segment, a deceleration was also observed in several key subcategories: textiles, clothing, footwear, and leather goods (20.3% vs 22.4%); household appliances, furniture, and other household goods (14.4% vs 17.1%); computer and communications equipment and other consumer goods (8.9% vs 24.4%); as well as mail-order, telephone, and internet sales (21.0% vs 24.1%).
On a monthly basis, retail turnover fell by 0.9% in April, following a downwardly revised 1.3% increase in the previous month.
