Merchandising

Retailers' performance during the summer sales, which began on July 8 and end today, depends on several factors.

Greek retail sales by volume rose 2.3 percent in June compared to the same month last year after an upwardly revised 2.2 percent fall in May, statistics service ELSTAT said on Friday.

Retail sales were led higher by home appliances and furniture, apparel, footwear, fuels and lubricants, the data showed.

Demand for modern commercial properties in Bulgaria is at record highs, Colliers International reports. The total utilized area is 21 900 square meters, and thus the first half of the year marks levels not seen since 2015. The analysis includes shopping centers over 10,000 sq.m.

The Commission for Protection of Competition (CPC) gave permission to Ozone Enterprises Ltd. to acquire the Pulsar electronics retail chain. Following the analysis, the Commission does not identify any breach of the law and does not see any future barriers to competition in the market as a result of the transaction.

Greek retail sales by volume declined 2.4 percent in May compared to the same month last year after a downwardly revised 2.6 percent fall in April, statistics service ELSTAT said on Wednesday.

Retail sales were led lower by department stores, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, the data showed.

In July 2019, the overall business climate indicator remained at roughly the same level as the previous month. A decline in business conditions was observed in industry and construction while in retail trade the June level remained unchanged. The indicator is rising only in the service sector.

Industry. 

New technology that will be introduced at an unnamed retail chain in Greece as of November will allow the business access to the private information of its customers, from gender and age group to body size, with a scan.

Turkey's calendar-adjusted retail sales volume with constant prices dropped 3.7% year-on-year in May this year, the country's statistical authority announced on July 17.

According to the preliminary seasonally adjusted data, in May 2019 the turnover in "Retail trade, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles" at constant prices decreased by 0.2% compared to the previous month, said the National Statistical Institute (NSI).

Turnover of grocery stores shrank in May, both from the previous month and from May last year. The speed of petrol stations is rising. This is evident from the preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute, announced today.