Retail sales rise in April, led by fuel, household goods and tech

Retail trade turnover in Cyprus continued to rise in April 2026, with both value and volume indices recording annual increases, according to a report by the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat).

Specifically, the Turnover Value Index of Retail Trade, excluding motor vehicles, rose by 5.8 per cent year-on-year in April, reaching 141.0 units, compared with the corresponding month of the previous year.

At the same time, the Turnover Volume Index increased by 2.9 per cent on an annual basis, reaching 122.1 units, indicating that retail activity expanded not only in value terms but also in real terms.

Over the January to April 2026 period, the value index rose by 6.4 per cent compared with the same period of 2025, while the volume index increased by 5.5 per cent, pointing to continued growth across the first four months of the year.

The strongest annual rise in value was recorded in automotive fuel, which increased by 16.5 per cent in April. However, its volume index fell by 3.6 per cent.

Moreover, other household equipment, including construction materials, carpets, furniture, electrical appliances and lighting, recorded a 10.3 per cent increase in value and an 11.7 per cent rise in volume, making it one of the strongest-performing categories.

Cultural and recreation goods, such as books, stationery, sports equipment and toys, also posted solid growth, with the value index rising by 9.9 per cent and the volume index increasing by 11.2 per cent.

Similarly, information and communication equipment registered a 6.4 per cent rise in value, while its volume index surged by 17.7 per cent, marking the strongest increase in real terms among the main categories.

Supermarkets also contributed to the overall increase, with food, beverages or tobacco in non-specialised stores recording a 5.9 per cent rise in value and a 2.4 per cent increase in volume.

By contrast, specialised stores selling food, beverages and tobacco recorded a 2 per cent increase in value, although their volume index fell by 3.3 per cent.

Pharmaceuticals, orthopaedic goods and cosmetics also moved higher, with the value index up by 2.4 per cent and the volume index rising by 1.8 per cent.

However, not all categories recorded growth in value terms.

Clothing and footwear declined by 1.9 per cent in value, despite recording a 3.8 per cent increase in volume, while flowers, plants, watches, jewellery, optical goods and second-hand goods edged down by 0.2 per cent in value and fell by 8.2 per cent in volume.

Retail sales not in stores also dropped by 5.1 per cent in value and 3.4 per cent in volume during April.

Excluding automotive fuel, retail trade increased by 4.8 per cent in value and 3.5 per cent in volume.

Meanwhile, edible goods recorded a 5.5 per cent rise in value and a 1.8 per cent increase in volume, while non-edible goods rose by 3.9 per cent in value and 5.4 per cent in volume.

Looking at the first four months of the year, information and communication equipment recorded the strongest cumulative increase in volume, rising by 21.2 per cent, followed by other household equipment, which increased by 11.5 per cent.

In value terms, other household equipment rose by 10.8 per cent during January-April, followed by information and communication equipment at 9.7 per cent, cultural and recreation goods at 8.3 per cent, and supermarkets at 8.1 per cent.

On the contrary, clothing and footwear recorded a 1.7 per cent decline in value during the four-month period, while specialised stores selling food, beverages and tobacco fell by 1.1 per cent in volume.

Cystat collects the data monthly by telephone enquiries or email, while the index is transmitted every month to Eurostat and published at national level in gross form.

المصدر: Cyprus Mail