FX.co ★ Czech Retail Sales Growth Weakest Since 2023

Retail sales in the Czech Republic increased by 1.6% year-on-year in April 2026, significantly below market expectations of 3.6% and sharply down from a 6.2% rise in March. This marked the weakest annual growth since December 2023.

The slowdown was driven by declines in sales of food, beverages and tobacco (-1.2% vs +5.4% in March), information and communication equipment (-3.7% vs -2.7%), and automotive fuel (-3.1% vs +9.0%). Growth also softened in several categories, including other retail sales in non-specialised stores (4.9% vs 7.1%), cultural and recreational goods (0.1% vs 1.1%), pharmaceutical and medical goods (6.2% vs 6.8%), and household equipment (1.9% vs 2.0%).

By contrast, sales of clothing, footwear and leather goods returned to growth (3.2% vs -1.9%), and the expansion in cosmetic and toilet articles strengthened further (9.0% vs 7.1%).

On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, retail sales fell by 0.9% in April, reversing a revised 1.6% increase recorded in March.