Finance
German retail sales fall more than expected in January
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 2, 2026
1 min readLast updated: March 2, 2026
Quick Summary
German real retail sales unexpectedly dropped 0.9% month‑on‑month in January 2026, significantly overshooting the anticipated 0.2% decline. The sharp fall underscores continued consumer caution amid uncertain economic sentiment.
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 about German retail sales fall more than expected in January
1How much did German retail sales drop in January 2024?
German retail sales decreased by 0.9% in January 2024 compared to the previous month.
2What was the predicted fall in German retail sales for January?
Analysts had predicted a 0.2% decrease in German retail sales for January.
3Where can more details on German retail sales data be found?
More details are available on the website of Germany's federal statistics office.
4Who reported and edited this article on German retail sales?
The article was reported by Simon Ferdinand Eibach and edited by Thomas Seythal.
