Retail

Confidence in Bulgarian online stores has increased over the past year, according to a survey by the largest hosting company, SuperHosting.BG. The number of platforms for online stores is also increasing.

A significant number of entrepreneurs in retail commerce were forced to become employees in the years of the financial crisis, as the reduction in demand - and consequently in sales and profits - resulted in many company closures.

Greece's retail food sector is showing signs of recovery during the current year, after a long period of crisis, according to Professor Georgios Doukidis, an advisor of the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA), in comments to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency on Sunday.

Greek retail sales by volume rose 3.1 percent in November compared to the same month last year after an upwardly revised 7.2 percent rise in October, statistics service ELSTAT said on Friday.
Retail sales were led higher by pharmaceuticals and cosmetics as well as books and footwear, the data showed.

The size of Turkey's retail sector reached 1.1 trillion Turkish Liras ($193 billion), according to a report by audit and consultancy firm KPMG Turkey.

The industry contracted in the first three quarters of 2019 by 5.3 percent, 3.9 percent and 1 percent, respectively last year.

The initial indicators suggest a recovery in 2020, the report added.

Leading supermarket chain Sklavenitis is entering the market of online commerce with the acquisition of the caremarket.gr website.

The retailer, that grew into the largest market player with the acquisition of defunct rival Marinopoulos in 2017-2018, has finally broken into the digital market of retailing with the acquisition of the online sales service from Yoda SA.

The retail sales volume with constant prices in Turkey soared 8.5 percent in November 2019 compared to the same month of the previous year, according to official figures released on Jan. 14.

Turnover at stores in Greece improved somewhat over the holiday period compared to last year but remains a long way from satisfactory, according to retail experts.

The Association of Retail Enterprises of Greece (SELPE) confirmed on Tuesday that the winter sales will begin on Monday, January 13, and last up to Saturday, February 29 across the country.

Greek retail sales by volume rose 7.1 percent in October compared to the same month last year after an downwardly revised 5.0 percent increase in September, statistics service ELSTAT said on Tuesday.

Retail sales were led higher by purchases of medicines and cosmetics, followed by stationery, the data showed.