Preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office, released on Thursday, indicates that the turnover in Deutschlands retail sector declined in March. Compared to February, sales dropped by 2.0 percent in real terms and 1.5 percent in nominal terms.
When comparing March to the previous year, the retail industry experienced a real decline of 2.0 percent and a nominal decline of 0.5 percent.
Sector-specific data showed varied trends. Gas stations reported a significant decline in turnover, falling by 5.6 percent in real terms due to the Middle Eastern war, while nominal increases masked the severity of the drop, rising by 5.5 percent.
The grocery retail sector also recorded a decline in March 2026. Compared to the previous month, sales decreased by 2.7 percent in real terms and 2.5 percent nominally. On a year-over-year basis, the sector showed a real drop of 3.3 percent and a nominal drop of 1.9 percent compared to the previous March.
In sharp contrast, the internet and mail-order retail sector demonstrated robust growth. For the month-over-month comparison in March 2026, turnover increased by 3.0 percent in both real and nominal terms. Furthermore, the year-over-year comparison showed even stronger growth, with sales rising by 5.9 percent in real terms and 6.1 percent in nominal terms.