Romania's retail sales volume index increased by 4.0% in October compared to the same month last year, driven up the non-food sales that fully offset the subdued fuel sales caused by lower mobility.

The seasonally adjusted index rose for the first time (by 1.0%) above the pre-crisis sales peak reached in February.

The non-food retail sales increased by 13.1% year-on-year (yoy) in October, the strongest annual growth rate since February. Food sales rose by a healthy 4.8% yoy, the steepest advance since the shopping rush in March when people were preparing for lockdown.

In contrast, the fuel sales lagged by 11.9% yoy in October, as the second wave of coronavirus infections was rising with a negative impact on mobility.

In seasonally adjusted terms, the retail sales advanced by 1.7% month-on-month in October, which was enough to bring the overall sales index above the pre-crisis level reached in February.

The food sales reached this performance in September and the non-food sales a couple of months earlier - but only in October their advance was strong enough to compensate for the weak fuel sales that lag a significant 14.2% behind February. 

iulian@romania-insider.com

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