Bulgaria retail sales fell in January, marking a sharper swing than EU trend

Retail sales across countries that use the euro edged down in January 2026, while the European Union as a whole recorded a slight increase, according to preliminary estimates from Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office.

Compared with December 2025, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade fell by 0.1% in the eurozone, while rising by 0.1% across the EU.

The previous month, retail sales had increased by 0.2% in the euro area and remained unchanged across the EU.

In Bulgaria, retail sales fell by 0.5% in January compared with December, following a 1.6% increase the previous month. This indicates a sharper month-on-month swing than the relatively stable trend seen across the EU. The decline came in the first month after Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January. Reports of price increases for some goods and services following the currency change have raised concerns that the transition may be affecting consumer spending.

• Monthly inflation climbs to 0.7% in January

Earlier data show that Bulgarian retailers recorded a 0.1% monthly decline in November 2025, following a 0.7% increase in October. On an annual basis, retail sales in Bulgaria rose by 3.9% in January compared with the same month a year earlier, placing the country ninth in the EU for growth in retail trade volume. However, annual growth had been stronger in the preceding months, with retail sales increasing by 8.2% in December and 3.8% in November.

Editor: Diana Tsankova

Edited and posted in English by E. Radkova