Romania’s sales of non-food goods hit new record in July

The volume of retail sales in Romania rose by 8.1% y/y in July, slightly slower compared to the 9.8% y/y advance in Q2, dragged down by sluggish sales of car fuels (+0.6% y/y) but substantially driven by the sales of non-food goods (+14.5% y/y) that reached a new record when expressed in seasonally adjusted terms.

Private consumption in Romania thus remains robust, fueled by the significant advance in net wages (6.5%-8.2% y/y over the past three quarters).