Romania's retail sales volume index inched down by 1.6% in August compared to July, in seasonally and workday adjusted terms, pausing the recovery pattern seen after the sharp 22% plunge seen in April.

The annual growth rate eased to 1.6% year-on-year in August, after a post-crisis record of 5.1% in July.

In seasonally and workday adjusted terms, August's retail sales still lag 3.8% behind the pre-crisis peak (February).

The three retail market segments have responded differently to the lockdown shock.

The fuel sales saw the deepest plunge (-35% in April versus March) and have been recovering slowly as they still lag 11% behind the peak pre-crisis level.

Food sales recorded the softer plunge (-14% in April), and are still 4% under the February level.

Meanwhile, the sales of non-food goods have already surpassed the February peak level (by 1.1%, as of August) after undergoing a relatively deep decline (-22% in April).

For the entire January-August period, Romania's retail sales volume index rose by 1.3% compared to the same period of 2019.

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iulian@romania-insider.com