Estonia's retail turnover heads down again after short revival
Estonian retail trade sales volume fell by 1% in May compared to a year earlier, ending a period of growth seen since the start of the year.
Retail trade enterprises in Estonia generated €947 million in sales revenue in May. According to Statistics Estonia, sales volume declined by 1% compared to May 2025, while remaining unchanged from April.
Leading analyst Johanna Linda Pihlak noted that sales volume, which had been growing since the beginning of the year, declined in May. The downturn was driven by stores selling manufactured goods, where sales volume fell by 5% compared to May 2025. This was the first decline in that category since November 2025.
Grocery stores did not return to growth in May, holding steady at the same level as a year earlier. In contrast, motor fuel retail sales volume increased by 2% compared to May 2025. Pihlak clarified that the motor fuel data covers total sales, including food service and other goods and services.
On a seasonally and calendar-adjusted basis, sales volume decreased by 2% from April. Over the first five months of 2026, total retail sales volume grew by 4% compared to the same period in 2025.
