Informations Rapides ·
24 June 2026 · n° 153
In April 2026, sales volume was stable in trade Sales volume in wholesale and retail trade - April 2026
In April 2026, the volume of sales in trade was stable over a month, after a 0.9% increase in March.
In April 2026, the volume of sales in trade was stable over a month, after a 0.9% increase in March.
In April 2026, the increase in sales volume in retail and motor vehicle trade was offset by the downturn in wholesale trade
In April 2026*, the volume of sales in retail trade except that of motor vehicles ans motorcycles increased again, but more moderately (+0.4% after +0.7% in March). This further increase was driven in particular by the acceleration in sales in non-specialised stores (+2.3% after +0.2%), notably due to sales in predominantly food stores. This rise in non-specialised stores was however tempered by the decline in sales in specialised stores (-0.7% after +1.0%), notably due to a deeper fall in automotive fuel sales (-5.9% after -1.4%), as a reaction of the sharp rise in prices amid the conflict in the Middle East.
The volume of sales in the trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles rose again, at a pace close to that of March (+0.4% after +0.5%). This increase concerned almost all sub-sectors, but is explained in particular by the confirmed upturn in activity in the sale of motor vehicles (+0.7% after +0.3%), supported by the sales of electric vehicle manufacturers.
Lastly, the volume of sales fell back in wholesale trade except that of motor vehicles and motorcycles (-0.4% after +1.1%). Within this sector, dynamics were mixed: sales fell anew in particular in “other specialised wholesale (fuels, wood, chemicals, etc.)” (-1.6% after +4.3%) and in wholesale on a fee or contract basis (-1.4% after +0.6%), while they bounced back in the household goods (+0.6% after -0.2%).
From February to April 2026, the volume of sales was up by 2.4% compared to the same three months of the previous year
The volume of sales in overall trade between February and April 2026 was up by 2.4% compared to the same period a year earlier. It rose in wholesale trade (+2.4%), in the retail trade (+1.9%), as well as in the trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (+3.7%).
Within the retail trade, sales increased year on year in non-specialised stores (+3.0%), in retail trade not in stores (+6.7%), as well as in specialised stores (+0.5%).
tableauChanges in sales volumes in trade
| Motor vehicles and motorcycles - 45 | Wholesale - 46 | Retail trade - 47 | Wholesale and retail trade - G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 107.38 | 100.61 | 108.17 | 103.75 |
| 2026-03 | 106.92 | 101.01 | 107.72 | 103.78 |
| 2026-02 | 106.36 | 99.9 | 107.02 | 102.87 |
| 2026-01 | 103.6 | 100.23 | 108.16 | 103.0 |
| 2025-12 | 105.3 | 100.39 | 107.63 | 103.17 |
| 2025-11 | 104.89 | 98.69 | 107.66 | 102.16 |
| 2025-10 | 104.77 | 99.17 | 107.51 | 102.37 |
| 2025-09 | 105.03 | 99.46 | 106.83 | 102.37 |
| 2025-08 | 105.37 | 99.53 | 106.91 | 102.49 |
| 2025-07 | 103.85 | 98.11 | 106.2 | 101.26 |
| 2025-06 | 102.96 | 99.5 | 106.09 | 101.9 |
| 2025-05 | 102.22 | 98.66 | 106.18 | 101.34 |
| 2025-04 | 103.23 | 98.9 | 106.2 | 101.62 |
| 2025-03 | 103.06 | 97.73 | 105.43 | 100.7 |
| 2025-02 | 103.05 | 97.77 | 105.19 | 100.66 |
| 2025-01 | 102.8 | 97.6 | 104.84 | 100.42 |
| 2024-12 | 104.19 | 97.54 | 103.99 | 100.34 |
| 2024-11 | 104.31 | 97.63 | 104.23 | 100.48 |
| 2024-10 | 104.86 | 96.69 | 103.95 | 99.94 |
| 2024-09 | 102.89 | 96.99 | 104.51 | 99.99 |
| 2024-08 | 104.14 | 98.14 | 105.35 | 101.07 |
| 2024-07 | 103.41 | 97.45 | 102.74 | 99.82 |
| 2024-06 | 103.84 | 97.57 | 102.01 | 99.73 |
| 2024-05 | 105.18 | 98.99 | 102.71 | 100.93 |
| 2024-04 | 106.03 | 100.13 | 102.7 | 101.7 |
| 2024-03 | 105.01 | 98.88 | 102.53 | 100.79 |
| 2024-02 | 108.48 | 101.47 | 103.37 | 103.0 |
| 2024-01 | 106.39 | 99.22 | 102.21 | 101.09 |
| 2023-12 | 111.39 | 99.81 | 101.95 | 102.05 |
| 2023-11 | 108.34 | 98.0 | 102.01 | 100.61 |
| 2023-10 | 109.07 | 99.29 | 100.8 | 101.09 |
| 2023-09 | 110.13 | 99.33 | 100.82 | 101.27 |
| 2023-08 | 109.3 | 100.14 | 99.93 | 101.36 |
| 2023-07 | 109.32 | 100.04 | 102.21 | 101.96 |
| 2023-06 | 109.52 | 99.96 | 101.5 | 101.74 |
| 2023-05 | 108.57 | 99.6 | 100.9 | 101.23 |
| 2023-04 | 102.62 | 96.38 | 99.86 | 98.26 |
| 2023-03 | 106.35 | 98.52 | 101.38 | 100.45 |
| 2023-02 | 104.3 | 99.59 | 101.71 | 100.86 |
| 2023-01 | 104.57 | 100.6 | 101.64 | 101.46 |
| 2022-12 | 102.25 | 100.18 | 102.18 | 101.05 |
| 2022-11 | 102.18 | 103.33 | 102.01 | 102.79 |
| 2022-10 | 101.25 | 101.93 | 102.95 | 102.13 |
| 2022-09 | 103.26 | 102.6 | 104.8 | 103.33 |
| 2022-08 | 101.57 | 101.49 | 102.78 | 101.88 |
| 2022-07 | 96.32 | 100.93 | 101.71 | 100.51 |
| 2022-06 | 96.99 | 101.95 | 103.4 | 101.68 |
| 2022-05 | 97.32 | 100.8 | 104.08 | 101.27 |
| 2022-04 | 94.45 | 102.17 | 103.86 | 101.58 |
| 2022-03 | 97.85 | 103.47 | 103.5 | 102.7 |
| 2022-02 | 99.15 | 103.55 | 103.21 | 102.84 |
| 2022-01 | 101.14 | 102.14 | 102.83 | 102.2 |
| 2021-12 | 99.79 | 100.31 | 103.41 | 101.13 |
| 2021-11 | 99.99 | 102.95 | 102.93 | 102.53 |
| 2021-10 | 99.47 | 101.2 | 102.75 | 101.41 |
| 2021-09 | 98.98 | 100.04 | 101.64 | 100.35 |
| 2021-08 | 100.15 | 100.23 | 101.5 | 100.59 |
| 2021-07 | 99.26 | 100.93 | 101.34 | 100.81 |
| 2021-06 | 102.17 | 102.01 | 101.31 | 101.83 |
| 2021-05 | 97.86 | 98.35 | 99.08 | 98.49 |
| 2021-04 | 99.33 | 98.07 | 92.86 | 96.73 |
| 2021-03 | 101.53 | 99.12 | 98.08 | 99.16 |
| 2021-02 | 98.9 | 97.91 | 97.86 | 98.03 |
| 2021-01 | 102.57 | 98.89 | 97.24 | 98.92 |
graphiqueChanges in sales volumes in trade
- Source: DGFiP, INSEE.
tableauSales volume in wholesale trade and retail trade
| Nace Classification | Weight | Apr. 2026 | Change in % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar. 2026/Feb. 2026 | Apr. 2026/Mar. 2026 | q-o-q(1) | y-o-y(2) | |||
| G Wholesale and retail trade | 10,000 | 103.8 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 2.4 |
| 45 Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 1,397 | 107.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 3.7 |
| 451 Sale of motor vehicles | 901 | 109.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 5.3 |
| 452 Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles | 103 | 105.9 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.8 |
| 453 Sale of motor vehicle parts and accessories | 363 | 105.3 | 1.1 | -0.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| 454 Sale, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts and accessories | 30 | 88.4 | -0.3 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 0.0 |
| 46 Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 5,703 | 100.6 | 1.1 | -0.4 | 0.7 | 2.4 |
| 461 Wholesale on a fee or contract basis | 872 | 90.8 | 0.6 | -1.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| 462 Agricultural raw materials and live animals | 307 | 104.2 | 0.0 | -2.4 | -3.5 | 4.2 |
| 463 Food, beverages and tobacco | 1,046 | 96.2 | -0.1 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0.9 |
| 464 Household goods | 1,129 | 111.0 | -0.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.9 |
| 465 Information and communication equipment | 331 | 121.7 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 6.5 | 13.2 |
| 466 Other machinery, equipment and supplies | 748 | 99.5 | 0.0 | -0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| 467 Other specialised wholesale | 1,161 | 95.0 | 4.3 | -1.6 | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| 469 Non specialised wholesale trade | 111 | 106.1 | 0.8 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
| 47 Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 2,900 | 108.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | -0.2 | 1.9 |
| 471 Retail sale in non-specialised stores | 1,002 | 106.6 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 3.0 |
| 472 to 477 Retail sale in specialised stores | 1,621 | 109.5 | 1.0 | -0.7 | -1.3 | 0.5 |
| 472 Food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores | 223 | 102.1 | -1.3 | 2.4 | -0.8 | 1.8 |
| 473 Automotive fuel in specialised stores | 266 | 95.3 | -1.4 | -5.9 | -3.8 | -4.4 |
| 474 Information and communication equipment in specialised stores | 55 | 127.2 | 1.6 | -2.7 | -0.3 | 1.7 |
| 475 Other household equipment in specialised stores | 296 | 84.5 | 2.1 | -0.8 | -2.2 | -2.4 |
| 476 Cultural and recreation goods in specialised stores | 110 | 110.8 | 1.8 | -1.1 | -0.1 | 2.1 |
| 477 Other goods in specialised stores | 671 | 127.1 | 2.0 | 0.5 | -0.6 | 2.5 |
| 478 and 479 Retail trade not in stores | 277 | 106.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 6.7 |
- (1) Quarter-on-quarter: last three months / previous three months.
- (2) Year-on-year: last three months / same three months of previous year.
- Source: DGFiP, INSEE.
Revisions
The monthly percentage change in the overall trade sales volume for March 2026 has not been revised compared to the previous release and remains at +0.9%.
tableauRevision of variationsin percentage points
| Jan. 2026/Dec. 2025 | Feb. 2026/Jan. 2026 | Mar. 2026/Feb. 2026 | Q1 2026/Q4 2025 | 2025/2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G Overall trade | -0.03 | -0.03 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.02 |
| Raw series | -0.08 | -0.02 | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| SA-WDA parameters | 0.05 | -0.01 | -0.02 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
- How to read: In the overall trade sector, the SA-WDA variation between February and March 2026 is revised by +0.03 points : +0.05 points due to the revisions of raw data and -0.02 points due to the new calculation of the SA-WDA parameters.
- Source: DGFiP, INSEE.
For more information
* All data are seasonally and working-day adjusted (SA-WDA). In the commentary, percentage changes by sub-sectors are presented, with some exceptions, in descending order of their contribution to the overall percentage change of the volume of sales. The contribution of a sub-sector takes into account its weight and the scale of its change.
Next issue: 22 July 2026 at 08:45 am.
Pour en savoir plus
Time series: Sales volume in wholesale and retail trade (base 2021)
Time series: Turnover index in wholesale and retail trade (base 2021)
Informations Rapides: Sales volume in wholesale and retail trade
Insee Méthodes n° 143 - June 2023: turnover in industry and construction, index of services production and sales volume in wholesale and retail trade