(more information and comment)
Retail sales in Sweden increased year-over-year in August.
Year-over-year, sales rose 6.9 percent (+6.2). All figures are preliminary and measured at constant prices and in calendar-adjusted terms.
Measured month-on-month, sales increased by 0.8 percent.
“With the increase in August, the calendar-adjusted and seasonally adjusted sales volume in retail trade is now at the highest measured level since measurements began,” says Brunilda Sandén, statistician at SCB.
Among the subsectors, stores for medical goods and cosmetics recorded the largest monthly increase, at 6.4 percent. Opticians moved in the opposite direction, declining by 4.9 percent.
Year-over-year, medical goods and cosmetics was also the strongest subsector, with sales increasing by 27.8 percent. Specialized retail sales of information and communication equipment increased by 13.4 percent at the same time.
SCB is also revising July’s figures. The sales volume decreased by 0.1 percent compared with June, an upward revision of 0.1 percentage points. Compared with July 2025, sales increased by 6.5 percent, following an upward revision of 0.3 percentage points.
Sweden, %August, 2026July, 2026Retail sales, MoM0.8-0.2Retail sales, YoY6.96.2
