Retail revenues failed to grow in September, according to data published by the Czech Statistics Office (CSU), which showed an increase of just 0.4 percent compared to September 2019. There had been hopes that sales would be stronger with consumers making up for time lost during the spring lockdown. In reality, the ongoing caution caused by continued concern over the pandemic combined with the onset of the pandemic’s second wave combined to hurt the figures. As is now typical, the frustrating figures don’t apply for e-shops. “Sales handled by the Internet grew at a double-digit rate, as they have done every month this year,” said CSU’s Marie Bouskova. “By comparison, the sale of clothing and shoes hasn’t grown year-on-year since January. Sales and repairs of motor vehicles have also been lower this year than last year.” Specifically, fashion and clothing fell 18 percent in September, while business slipped 3 percent for products connected with sports and recreation.
