German retailers experienced a contraction in sales during May 2025, according to preliminary data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday. After seasonal and calendar adjustments, real turnover declined by 1.6 percent and nominal turnover by 1.2 percent compared to April.
While May figures reflected a downturn compared to the previous month, a year-on-year comparison revealed stronger performance. Real turnover increased by 1.6 percent and nominal turnover rose by 2.8 percent when compared to May 2024.
A revision of previously reported figures showed that April’s retail turnover experienced a downward adjustment. The originally reported drop of 1.1 percent in real turnover was revised to a decrease of 0.6 percent, while nominal turnover declined from an initial estimate of -1.2 percent to -0.7 percent when compared to March.
Within the retail sector, food retailers saw a real turnover decrease of 1.3 percent and a nominal decrease of 0.8 percent in May, relative to April. However, the food retail segment demonstrated growth year-on-year, with real turnover up 0.5 percent and nominal turnover increasing by a significant 3.4 percent.
Non-food retail also faced a downturn in May, with a real turnover decrease of 2.2 percent and a nominal decrease of 1.9 percent when compared to the previous month. However, this segment also saw year-on-year growth, with real turnover increasing by 2.0 percent and nominal turnover rising by 2.4 percent.
The online and mail-order sector witnessed a decrease of 1.4 percent in both real and nominal turnover in May, compared to April. Despite this monthly decline, the online retail sector experienced substantial year-on-year growth, with real turnover up 9.3 percent and nominal turnover increasing by 9.2 percent.