FX.co ★ Hungary Retail Sales Growth Slows in April

Hungary’s retail sales increased by 3.6% year-on-year in April 2026, slowing from a slightly downwardly revised 8.1% rise in March. This was the weakest expansion in retail activity since January, mainly reflecting a markedly smaller increase in automotive fuel sales (9.1% vs 20.6% in March). Turnover in the non-food segment also grew more modestly (2.6% vs 8.4%), weighed down by declines in textiles, clothing and footwear (-2.7% vs 4.5%), books, newspapers and stationery (-0.8% vs -4.4%), and second-hand goods (-4% vs 4.4%).

By contrast, revenues from food products continued to rise (3.4% vs 2.8%), led in particular by food-related mixed stores (5.2% vs 4.4%), which partly offset the contraction in sales of food, beverages and tobacco (-2.7% vs -2.5%). On a seasonally adjusted basis, retail activity fell by 1.2% month-on-month in April, following a 1.9% increase in March. Over the first four months of the year, total retail sales were 4.8% higher than in the same period a year earlier.