Retail trade in Malta witnessed largest EU decrease

Retail trade in April registered a 25% drop, the largest month-on-month decrease in the EU

4 June 2020, 2:31pm
by Kurt Sansone

1 min read

The closure of non-essential retail outlets to limit the spread of COVID-19 led to a significant reduction in the volume of retail trade in April

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Malta experienced the largest drop in retail trade across the EU when restrictive measures shut shops last April.

The volume of retail trade in Malta decreased by 25.1% in April when compared to March, figures released by Eurostat show.

Romania (-22.3%) and Ireland (-21.9%) followed suit, with the only increase observed in Finland (+0.3%). The volume in Sweden remained stable.

The figures were equally bleak for Malta when the volume of retail trade in April was compared to the same month last year.

The annual volume of retail trade decreased in all EU member states, with the largest decreases in France (-31.1%), Spain (-29.8%), Malta (-24.8%) and Luxembourg (-24.7%).

The figures released on Thursday by the EU’s statistical agency show the significant impact of the COVID-19 containment measures introduced across the continent.

Kurt Sansone is Executive Editor of MaltaToday. He was formerly deputy editor of MaltaTod...