Norway Retail Sales Stall in May

Retail sales in Norway stalled month-on-month in May 2025 from a downwardly revised 0.6% rise in the previous month. The stagnation was mainly due to significant declines seen in sales of ICT equipment (-6.2% vs 12.8% in April), other household equipment (-3% vs 1.8%), those not in stores/stalls (-2.4% vs 0.5%), and automotive fuel (-1.7% vs -1.1%). Additionally, trade growth moderated for food, beverages etc (1% vs 2.5%) and other goods (0.2% vs 1.5%). On a year-on-year basis, retail activity rose marginally by 0.1% in May, the lowest in seven months and slowing sharply from an upwardly revised 4.3% increase in the preceding period.