22 October 2020
Ukrainian retail sales accelerated to 6.7% yoy growth
in real terms in 9M20 from 6.0% yoy growth in 8M20, Ukraine’s State Statistics
Service reported on Oct. 21. In September, retail sales advanced 11.6% yoy (vs.
8.7% yoy growth in August), but declined 0.7% m/m in real terms.
Regionally, the highest retail growth in 9M20 occurred
in the Kyiv (16.6% yoy), Zaporizhia (14.1% yoy) and Chernihiv (12.4% yoy)
regions. The top losers remained the Zakarpattia (-7.0% yoy) and the Chernivtsi
(-1.2% yoy) regions.
Evgeniya Akhtyrko: The growth
of Ukraine’s retail sales continues to offer surprises. Unless Ukraine’s
government resorts to another large-scale national lockdown through the year
end, we are likely to see 8-9% yoy retail growth in 2020 (vs. 10.3% yoy in
2019).