Czech Retail Sales Grow by 4.3%: Online Retailers See a 15.0% Increase

Czech retail sales in August were up 4.3% compared with the same month last year. The Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) reported this on October 8. The figure is price-adjusted and excludes automotive sales. In July, the increase was 5.1% after revision. Compared to July, sales rose by 0.2%.

Online and Fashion Lead the Way

Online and mail-order retailers grew by 15.0%. Jana Gotvaldová, head of the Department of Trade, Transport, and Services Statistics at ČSÚ, said: “As is traditional, we recorded the highest growth among online retailers.” Clothing and shoe stores saw a 10.0% increase.

Non-food retail grew by 7.4% overall. Food retail sales rose by 3.0%. Stores specializing in food posted a 3.1% increase. Fuel sales fell by 3.2%. The automotive trade contracted by 2.2%, and auto repair shops by 2.5%.

On a monthly basis, non-food retail sales rose by 0.7%. Food retail sales increased by 0.3%. Fuel sales fell by 2.1%, and automotive retail sales by 0.3%.

Analysts See Tailwinds for the Full Year

Jiří Pour, an economist at UniCredit Bank, puts the pace into perspective: It was “entirely in line with the average since the beginning of the year.” Petr Dufek, an economist at Creditas, said, “Consumers once again bought significantly more cosmetics and clothing.”

Miroslav Novák, an analyst at Citfin, expects growth of 3.5% to 4.0% for 2026. Tereza Krček of Raiffeisenbank forecasts 4.3%, partly because real household incomes are rising. David Marek of Deloitte believes growth of up to 4.5% is possible. In his assessment, fluctuating energy prices have not deterred consumers.

So far, prices have had little effect on consumer spending. According to preliminary estimates from the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), inflation stood at 1.9% in August, up from 1.7% in July. Core inflation rose from 3.0% to 3.3%. The Czech National Bank (ČNB) raised its key interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 3.75% in June. It was the first increase in four years.

What this means for German exporters

Czech households are buying more, and they’re shopping online. Manufacturers of cosmetics, fashion, and household goods can reach the market faster through online platforms than through retail chains. Suppliers of auto parts and repair shop supplies, on the other hand, are facing a shrinking market. The next ČSÚ data will be released on November 5. Then we’ll see whether consumer spending maintains its pace through the fall.

Sources: ČSÚ, Retail – August 2026 (CS); České noviny/ČTK with analyst commentary (CS); Businessinfo.cz on inflation (CS)

SK, Frankfurt