Retail trade prospered during 2024, the most favourable result was achieved in December

Retail turnover achieved better year-on-year values since the beginning of 2024. The growth rate accelerated significantly especially in the last quarter, even exceeding 10% in December. Under the annual turnover growth at the level of 4.5%, there was a positive development in large hyper- and super-markets and in mail-order sales.

Retail turnover¹⁾ in December 2024 increased by 10.1% year-on-year. It was the best monthly result of 2024, during which the seasonally adjusted retail turnover continued increasing. Con-sidering the structure of the industry, up to 7 out of 9 components had higher turnover year-on-year.

The greatest contribution to the December´s result was the turnover growth of e-shops²⁾ (sales not in stores, stalls and markets) by more than two fifths and the turnover growth of hyper- and supermarkets (non-specialized stores), which reached 6.6%. Various specialized stores al-so prospered.

Year-on-year decline was recorded in only two components of retail trade, the sale of fuels²⁾ as well as bookstores, sporting goods, toys, etc. (sale of goods for culture and recreation).

Year-on-year turnover growth in the last month of the year was also recorded by most other components of internal trade, sale and repair of motor vehicles by 15.8%, wholesale³⁾ by 2.8% and accommodation by 14.6%. Lower turnover than a year ago were recorded only by food and beverage service activities by 4.1%.

Compared to November 2024, seasonally adjusted turnover increased by 8.2% in retail trade, 7.8% in accommodation and 1.5% in food and beverage service activities. On the contrary, it dropped in wholesale3) by 1.7% and in sale and repair of motor vehicles by 1.5%.

Development of retail turnover in 2024

Retail turnover in total for the full year 2024 achieved a growth by 4.5%, which was among the best results since 2013.

The turnover increase was felt by traders in 6 out of 9 monitored components of retail trade. The result significantly affected the turnover growth of hyper- and supermarkets (non-specialized stores) by 4%. It was the third best result of this retail sector in the last 12 years. Mail-order sales2) (sales not in stores, stalls and markets) had a significant supporting effect by more than a quarter, which, however, was partly influenced by the expansion of the number of enterprises. An increase in the range of 4 to 6% was recorded by stores of textiles, shoes, drugstores or pharmacies (specialized sales with other goods) and also hobby markets or furniture and consumer electronics stores (specialized sales with other household goods). Specialized stores with food, beverages and tobacco also had a prosperous year, whose turnover rose by 16.5% year-on-year.

Fuel sellers²⁾, as well as the sale of IT and communication equipment, as well as bookstores, sporting goods, and toy stores (sales of goods for culture and recreation) had to cope with the turnover decrease in a a year-on-year comparison.

Of the other components of internal trade, sale and repair of motor vehicles achieved a year-on-year turnover growth in 2024, by 3% and accommodation by 4.5%. Year-on-year lower turnover was recorded by food and beverage service activities y 2.1%, as well as by wholesale³⁾ by 1.5%.