ZAGREB, 29 May (Hina) – Retail sales in Croatia rose 2% year-on-year in April, marking the 37th consecutive month of annual growth, but the pace slowed after a 3.3% increase in March, the national statistics office said on Friday.

A report on retail trade turnover showed that, in seasonally adjusted terms, sales fell 0.2% in April compared with the previous month.

The annual growth rate in retail trade was the weakest since November last year, when it stood at 1.4%.

On a yearly basis, turnover in food, beverages and tobacco rose 2.6%, while non-food products increased 2.8%. Sales of automotive fuels and lubricants fell by 15.7%.

On a monthly basis, fuel sales dropped 3.7%, non-food retail fell 2.4%, while food retail rose 2.8%.

In the first four months of 2026, calendar-adjusted retail turnover increased 2.8% compared with the same period a year earlier.

As retail spending is the largest component of GDP, the slowdown in April could signal a further easing of domestic economic growth in the second quarter.

Croatia’s economy expanded for the 21st consecutive quarter in the first three months of the year, growing 2.2% year-on-year, down from 3.6% in the previous quarter.