German retail sales increased by over 0.6% in May in real terms (price adjusted) compared with April, according to latest data from the country's federal statistics office, Destatis.
On a year-on-year basis, price-adjusted sales declined by 3.6% in May 2022.
Food Retail Sales
After what Destatis described as a 'significant slump' in April, the food retail sector once again recorded a decline in sales compared to the previous month.
Compared to the same month in the previous year, sales fell by 9.5%.
However, sales in May 2021 were unusually high (up 8.4% on May 2019).
Destatis said the real decline in May 2022 is probably due significant rise in food prices (+11.1% compared to the same month last year).
Butcher shops and fish shops in particular recorded significant sales declines of 9.7% and 13.1%, respectively, compared to the previous month.
Read More: Euro Zone Retail Trade Weaker Than Expected As Food Sales Fall
Non-Food Items
In May 2022, the sales of non-food items recorded an increase in sales of 2.9% in real terms compared to the previous month.
Textiles, clothing, shoes, and leather goods trade, in particular, saw significant growth, rising by 10.6% compared to the previous month and 59.8% compared to the same month last year.
This means that sales were only 1.1% below the pre-pandemic level of May 2019, Destatis noted.
In May 2022, online and mail order trade recorded a sales decline of 2.5% compared to the previous month, with both well below the value for the same month last year (-14.1 %).
Furthermore, sales at independent petrol stations fell by 4.0% compared to the previous month and are thus 10.8% below the level of the same month last year.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
