Retail sales in Bulgaria rose 0.7% in September from August, preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute show. They were up 5.7% from September 2025.
In August, sales rose 0.3% on the month and 5.9% on the year.
The figures leave out sales of cars and motorcycles. The monthly change is measured in comparable prices, meaning without the effect of price rises, and is seasonally adjusted to remove the influence of the season. The annual change is calendar adjusted.
Motor fuels and lubricants had the biggest monthly rise, at 2.1%. Non-food goods excluding fuel rose 0.9%. Sales of food, drinks and tobacco fell 0.5%.
Among non-food goods, textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods rose most, by 3.5%. Next came pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries, up 2.6%, non-specialised stores selling a variety of goods, up 1.8%, and household appliances, furniture and other household goods, up 0.7%.
Orders by post, phone or internet fell 1.2%, and computer and communication equipment fell 0.6%.
Over the year, sales grew in all the main groups. Fuels and lubricants rose 11.8%, food, drinks and tobacco 5.5%, and non-food goods excluding fuel 4.5%.
Among non-food goods, orders by post, phone or internet had the biggest annual rise, at 23.4%. Textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods were up 21.9%.
Two subgroups are below their September 2025 level: household appliances, furniture and other household goods, down 1.5%, and pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries, down 1.2%.
Updated (06.11, 13:26): Eurostat data show monthly growth in retail sales in August was 0.4%, not the 0.3% first reported. In September, Bulgaria had the EU's third-biggest annual rise in retail trade, behind Cyprus and Sweden. In August it ranked fourth. Compared with August, sales fell 0.6% in the EU and 0.7% in the eurozone. On the year, they rose 0.9% in the EU and 0.4% in the eurozone.