Bulgaria's retail sales grow 5.7% in September, the third fastest rate in the EU

Bulgaria's retail turnover at constant prices rose by 5.7% in September compared with a year earlier and by 0.7% from August, preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) published on 6 November show, BTA reported. The figures exclude sales of motor vehicles and motorcycles. In August, turnover had grown by 5.9% year on year.

Eurostat data released the same day placed Bulgaria third in the European Union for annual retail growth in September, behind Cyprus with 7.6% and Sweden with 6.9%. Across the EU, retail sales volumes fell by 0.6% from August and rose by only 0.9% from a year earlier. In the euro area, the corresponding figures were a fall of 0.7% and growth of 0.4%. The largest annual declines were recorded in Germany, Romania and Spain.

Within Bulgaria, all three main groups grew compared with September 2025. Turnover rose by 11.8% for automotive fuels and lubricants, by 5.5% for food, beverages and tobacco and by 4.5% for other non-food goods.

The strongest annual increases among non-food goods were in mail, telephone and online orders, up 23.4%, and in textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods, up 21.9%. Turnover fell by 1.5% for household appliances and furniture and by 1.2% for pharmaceutical and medical goods and cosmetics.

Compared with August, turnover rose by 2.1% for fuels and by 0.9% for other non-food goods, while sales of food, beverages and tobacco fell by 0.5%. Clothing and footwear rose by 3.5% in the month, but online and mail orders fell by 1.2%.

The retail numbers are measured at constant prices, so they show growth in volumes after inflation. They suggest that household spending held up in September despite consumer price inflation of 5.7% on the national measure that month.