Overview
- The Federal Statistical Office estimates 2025 retail turnover up 2.4% in real terms and 3.6% nominal, the biggest annual rise since 2020.
- The figure is provisional, built from January–November data plus an estimated December, implying a real growth range of 2.3% to 2.6%.
- Growth skewed to the first half (+3.8% real) versus the second (+1.1%) due to a structural uplift from an internet and mail‑order restructuring, which Reuters reports was linked to Amazon.
- A reporting-sample change applied retroactively from January 2024 has produced sizable revisions, with October’s monthly real rate revised to +0.3% from an earlier -0.3%.
- The retail federation HDE urged caution, saying first estimates are often revised down and that 2025 remained challenging for many stores.