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North Macedonia June retail sales fall 1.0%, first annual decline since September 2025

North Macedonia June retail sales fall 1.0%, first annual decline since September 2025

Retail turnover reversed from May’s 7.3% increase as food, beverages and tobacco sales fell and automotive fuel growth slowed sharply, pulling broader retail activity into contraction.

Fact Check
The Trading Economics report 'North Macedonia Retail Sales Drop in June' confirms every element of the claim: a 1.0% year-on-year decline in June 2026, described as the first annual decline since September 2025, reversing from May's 7.3% increase. It also confirms the drivers cited: food, beverages & tobacco fell 4.2%, and automotive fuel growth slowed sharply from 14.7% to 2.5%. All figures and characterizations match precisely. Trading Economics sources this from the State Statistical Office of North Macedonia.
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Summary

North Macedonia's retail sales fell 1.0% year on year in June 2026, marking the first annual decline since September 2025 and reversing from a 7.3% increase in May. The downturn was led by a 4.2% drop in sales of food, beverages and tobacco after a 9.1% rise in the previous month. Growth in automotive fuels also slowed sharply to 2.5% from 14.7%, helping push retail trade excluding automotive fuel down 1.1% after a 6.2% increase in May. Sales of non-food products excluding fuel continued to expand, but the pace eased slightly to 1.4% from 1.6%, indicating that weakness was concentrated in essential goods and fuel-related categories rather than across the entire sector.

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