By Tuba Sahin
ANKARA (AA) – Going down for three consecutive months due to coronavirus-related measures, Turkey's retail sales volume narrowed 16.7% year-on-year in May, the country's statistical authority announced on Monday.
While food, drinks and tobacco sales saw an annual rise of 3% in May, non-food — except automotive fuel — slipped by 25.5%, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). Data showed that automotive fuel sales also declined by 22.6% during the same period.
The volume of textile, clothing, and footwear sales fell the most among non-food items with 58.9% on an annual basis.
It was followed by computers, books and telecommunication equipment sales, down 28.4% and medical goods and cosmetic sales, down 10.9% compared to last May.
Sales by mail order and the internet soared 106.4% from the same period of last year.
Meanwhile, the retail sales volume with constant prices rose 3.8% in May compared with a month earlier.
