German retail sales fall by most in 13 months

3rd Aug 2026 08:06

(Sharecast News) - Retail sales in Germany fell by the most in more than a year in June, according to figures released on Monday by the country's federal statistical office, with consumer uncertainty dampening hopes for a rebound in economic activity.

Retail sales declined by 1.1% in price-adjusted terms, offsetting the revised 1.2% increase registered in May, Destatis reported.

This was much worse than the 0.5% fall expected by analysts and the steepest decline since May 2025.

That limited retail sales growth over the first half of 2026 as a whole to just 0.7% in real terms compared with the first half of 2025.

Petrol station sales jumped 2.1% over the month as a result of fuel discount countermeasures by the government to offset the impact of soaring oil prices due to the war in the Middle East. Though sales in real terms were still down 2.1% year-on-year.

However, food retail sales fell by 1.4% over the month, while non-food retail sales slipped 1.0% At the same time, online and mail-order sales were up 0.4%.