Retail sales in the Czech Republic rose by 4.9% year-on-year in March 2026, exceeding market expectations of a 3.4% gain and accelerating from an upwardly revised 3.7% increase in the previous month. Sales increased for all categories, including food, beverages and tobacco (4.8% vs 0.9% in February), non-food products (5.5% vs 6%), and automotive fuel (2.6% vs 3.5%). Among the non-food sector, turnover particularly rose in specialized stores selling cosmetics and toiletries (7.5% vs 7.2%), pharmaceutical and medical goods (6.8% vs 4.7%), and non-specialized stores selling mainly non-food goods (6.6% vs 6.2%). Sales in online and mail order stores also increased by 13.4% (vs 16.1%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, retail activity grew by 1.2% in March, marking the sharpest increase since last April and rebounding from a revised 0.2% gain in the preceding period.