Romanians spend EUR 500 mln for Easter

Romanians spend some EUR 500 million in hypermarkets and supermarkets before Easter, according to an analysis by local financial newspaper Ziarul Financiar. The period before Easter represents about 5% of the trade recorded in one year. By comparison, the period before Christmas accounts for 10-15% of the total consumption in modern retail, which is some EUR 9 billion a year, ZF writes. The first data provided by retailers show that Easter sales are similar this year or have slightly increased year-on-year. This shows that the VAT cut announcement as of June 1 has not yet led Romanians to consume more. editor@romania-insider.com