Retail sales in Slovenia increased 6.0 percent year-on-year in March 2019, easing from an upwardly revised 12.2 percent rise in the previous month. It was the lowest gain in retail trade since August last year, as sales growth eased for automotive fuel in specialized stores (15.3 percent vs 26.3 percent in February) and for non-food products (5.7 percent vs 11.5 percent). In contrast, sales of food advanced faster (2.2 percent vs 0.6 percent). On a monthly basis, retail sales declined 3.1 percent, after an upwardly revised 1.8 percent rise in February. Retail Sales YoY in Slovenia averaged 3.01 percent from 2001 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 20.20 percent in May of 2008 and a record low of -17 percent in September of 2009.
Retail Sales YoY in Slovenia is expected to be 5.00 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Retail Sales YoY in Slovenia to stand at 2.50 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Slovenia Retail Sales YoY is projected to trend around 2.00 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.