Economy in Brief: 2026

Retail sales in the European monetary area fell in March by 0.1%, continuing a streak of declines in retail sales volumes since the beginning of 2026. Motor vehicle sales, however, as a separate category, showed recovery in registrations and sales from January to February to March.

Among six early reporting monetary union and other European countries, Germany and Norway showed sales declines in March, while Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Sweden recorded month to month increases. However, these March data belie the weakness in February, when sales declined month-to-month in all six of these areas. Prior to that, January sales had increased month-to-month in all these countries except Germany; Germany posted a 1.1% decline in retail sales in January.

Sequential trends Sequential trends for these countries show that retail sales in Germany have been slipping more rapidly, falling 2% over 12 months, at a 3.9% annual rate of decline over six months, and at an accelerated 13.1% annual rate of decline over three months. Norway also has seen increasing weakness in retail sales, rising by 0.9% over 12 months, gaining at only a 0.4% annual rate over six months, and then falling at a 1.2% annual rate over three months. However, Denmark, the Netherlands, the U.K., and Sweden each show retail sales accelerating from their 12-month growth rate to their six-month growth rate and to their three-month growth rate. Only the Netherlands is an EMU member country. These data pool together monetary union and non-monetary union countries.

Looking at the headline for the monetary union, we see sales are clearly slipping and decelerating, with total sales volume up 1.1% over 12 months, up at a 0.2% annual rate over six months, and then falling at a 1.9% annual rate over three months. Sales in the monetary union are weak and getting weaker.

In the quarter-to-date (the now-completed first quarter), monetary union sales fell by 0.5% at an annual rate. Among the other countries in the table, only Germany—the largest economy in the monetary union—shows a quarterly decline at a 4.3% annual rate. All the other reporters in the table show increases, ranging from 0.1% at an annual rate in Norway to a 6.3% annual rate in the United Kingdom.

Looking at the sales gains back to January 2020, before COVID, in the euro area total retail sales volume is up by 6.3% over that broad period. U.K. sales volumes are actually lower by 0.6% over that same span. Germany, the largest euro area economy, shows a 2% increase since January 2020, implying a very slow gain for retail sales over that period. The strongest gains since January 2020 are logged by Denmark, with a 12% gain, followed by the Netherlands with a 6.4% gain and Sweden with a 5.6% gain. Since we're looking at a broad six-year period, on that time horizon these are all relatively weak numbers, with the exception of Denmark.

Activity in the monetary union has been weak, with the service sector having been quite weak during the period since COVID ended—especially on the back of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Recently, manufacturing and goods sector data have shown a little bit of life, even as service sector data continue to be very touch and go. We see that again in this retail sales report. Now oil prices are jumping, and there is a new ‘hot’ situation in the Middle East; the Strait of Hormuz is showing either impeded or shuttered traffic conditions. The outlook remains very uncertain. Consumer confidence measures continue to show consumers as somewhat off balance and concerned about circumstances and the outlook. This means we'll continue to watch all these trends closely. In the meantime, these retail sales trends indicate caution on the part of consumers as to their willingness to spend—even though they appear to have opened their pocketbooks to spend on vehicles in recent months and even sequentially. In context, the rebound in auto sales still leaves total vehicle registrations 5% lower than they were in January 2020—six years ago. There is nothing there to indicate that the consumer is out of the woods and back to normal.