Retail sales grew by 6.2% at the end of 2025/ The main impact came from non-food items and hydrocarbons
From Eldiona Serani
According to data published by INSTAT, retail trade in Albania recorded a positive performance during the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting a steady increase in consumption in the country. The sales volume index, which is calculated by deflating the sales value index, reached 137.5, recording an increase of 6.2% compared to the same period a year earlier.
Compared to the previous quarter, sales volume increased by 1.5%. Meanwhile, in annual terms, sales volume in the fourth quarter of 2025 increased by 5.7% compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, demonstrating a stable performance of the trade sector.
Analysis by major commodity groups shows that the annual growth was supported by several important market segments. The largest contribution was made by “Non-food items in specialized and non-specialized trade units”, which added +2.5 percentage points to the total growth.
On the other hand, the group “Food, beverages and tobacco” contributed +1.8 percentage points, reflecting a stable demand for basic consumer products. While “Retail trade of hydrocarbons in specialized stores” contributed +1.9 percentage points to the annual growth. However, compared to the previous quarter, this group recorded a slight increase of 1.1%.
Meanwhile, in the fourth quarter, sales volume recorded the largest increase in the group "Retail trade, excluding retail trade of hydrocarbons in specialized commercial units".
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