Finance

German retail sales fall more than expected in January

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review

Posted on March 2, 2026

1 min read

· Last updated: April 2, 2026

Add as preferred source on Google
German retail sales fall more than expected in January
Global Banking & Finance Awards 2026 — Call for Entries

March 2 (Reuters) - German retail sales fell more than expected in January, decreasing by 0.9% compared to the previous month, data showed on Monday. Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted a 0.2%

German Retail Sales Drop 0.9% in January, Exceeding Expectations

Overview of January Retail Sales Data

Retail Sales Performance

March 2 (Reuters) - German retail sales fell more than expected in January, decreasing by 0.9% compared to the previous month, data showed on Monday.

Analyst Expectations

Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted a 0.2% decrease.

Further Information

The federal statistics office publishes more details on its website.

(Reporting by Simon Ferdinand Eibach, editing by Thomas Seythal)

Key Takeaways

  • Germany’s January retail sales fell 0.9% month‑on‑month, well below the Reuters‑poll consensus of ‑0.2%
  • December data had shown slight growth (+0.1% m/m, +1.5% y/y), indicating early signs of end‑of‑year resilience in consumer activity (tradingeconomics.com)
  • Consumer sentiment remained weak entering 2026, with GfK’s index hitting near two‑year lows, reinforcing the subdued retail performance (wsj.com)

References

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did German retail sales drop in January 2024?
German retail sales decreased by 0.9% in January 2024 compared to the previous month.
What was the predicted fall in German retail sales for January?
Analysts had predicted a 0.2% decrease in German retail sales for January.
Where can more details on German retail sales data be found?
More details are available on the website of Germany's federal statistics office.
Who reported and edited this article on German retail sales?
The article was reported by Simon Ferdinand Eibach and edited by Thomas Seythal.

Tags

Related Articles

More from Finance

Explore more articles in the Finance category