There was only one week of decline in the 38 considered, the week after Easter 2020.
On the other hand, in March, when the authorities took steps to ensure social distancing and limit people movement, the private consumer spending did see an impact. In March 9 to 15, sales of consumer goods rose 79% compared with the same week of 2019. This was the highest growth this year, as Romanian consumers stocked up on supplies to make sure they have everything they need at home.
Another event that influenced the retail sales is the start of the school, so the first week of school (September 14 to September 20) ended with 19% rise in FMCG sales on the year-ago period.
Sales growth during regular weeks was usually 8% to 10% compared with 2019, Retail Zoom says.
The RetailZoom survey included more than 3,000 international modern retail stores and 184 product categories, from foods to personal and household care products.
The stores that supplied data include convenience, discount and supermarket chains Carrefour Market, dm drogerie markt, Inmedio, Mega Image and Shop & Go, Penny Market, Profi and Xpress. The large store chains that supplied data were Cora, Carrefour (hypermarkets) and Metro Cash & Carry.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)