German retailers posted a 2.2% year-on-year increase in revenue for the first half of the year, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
The growth was primarily fueled by price increases rather than higher sales volumes, highlighting the persistent impact of inflationary pressures on consumer spending patterns.
0% month-on-month revenue rise in May, which had already defied market expectations for a slowdown.
The headline figure masks a more nuanced underlying trend, with real volume growth remaining subdued.
This divergence between nominal revenue and physical sales suggests that households are absorbing higher costs rather than increasing consumption, a dynamic that has characterized the German retail sector throughout the year.
This half-year result follows an unexpected 1.0% month-on-month revenue rise in May, which had already defied market expectations for a slowdown.
The consistency of these figures indicates that while demand has not collapsed, the quality of growth is heavily dependent on pricing power rather than organic volume expansion.