Bulgaria's retail sales rose 5.9% in August from a year earlier and 0.3% from July, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said. The preliminary data do not include sales of cars and motorcycles.

The annual rise was faster than in July, when it was 5.6%. On the month, sales grew again after a 0.2% fall in July.

The figures are at constant prices. The monthly comparison uses seasonally adjusted data, and the annual one uses calendar adjusted data.

Compared with July, sales of motor fuel and lubricants rose 2.2%. Sales of food, drinks and tobacco fell 0.4%, while sales of non-food goods, excluding fuel and lubricants, were unchanged from July (0.0%).

Among non-food goods, orders by post, phone or internet grew 2.3%, and sales of textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods rose 1.7%. Sales fell for pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics and toiletries (2.3%), in non-specialised stores selling a variety of goods (1.8%), and for computers and communication equipment (1%).

Compared with August 2025, sales grew in all the main groups. Motor fuel and lubricants were up 8.3%, food, drinks and tobacco 7.5%, and non-food goods excluding fuel and lubricants 4.2%.

The biggest rise was in orders by post, phone or internet, at 28.1%. Next came textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods (13.1%), non-specialised stores selling a variety of goods (7.1%), and computers and communication equipment (4.6%).

The only fall among the listed groups was in household appliances, furniture and other household goods, where sales were 4.3% lower than in August 2025.