Malta: Retail trade registers second-biggest annual drop among EU27

Total retail trade volume in Malta fell by 7.5 percent in August, compared with the same month last year. Data by Eurostat shows that this was the one of the largest decreases among EU member states, second only to that in Bulgaria which slipped by 12.2 percent. The EU average registered an increase of 3.7 percent over the same period, rising highest in Belgium (+12.9%), Ireland (+9.8%), and the Netherlands (+8.3%).

Compared with July 2020, retail trade grew by 2.6 percent in Malta and by 3.8 percent in the EU. Belgium registered the biggest increase at 9.6 percent, followed by France (+6.2%) and Germany (+3.1%). Only five member states experienced a decrease from July, the largest observed in Slovenia and Romania, with volume falling by 1.6 percent in both countries.

Retail trade for non-food products increased by 6.1 percent between July and August this year while food, drinks, and tobacco rose by 2.4 percent. The highest gain was seen in mail orders and internet trade, up by 12.4 percent.