Romanian wholesale trade grows 2.3% in Q1 2026

Business Forum
Romanian wholesale trade turnover (excluding motor vehicles and motorcycles) increased by 2.3% in the first three months of 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

The official statistics show that between January 1 and March 31, 2026, positive results were recorded in specialised wholesale of other products (+9.2%), wholesale of computer and telecommunications equipment (+9%), wholesale intermediation activities (+8.9%) and wholesale of non-food consumer goods (+5.6%).

Conversely, declines were registered in non-specialised wholesale trade (-10.2%), wholesale of raw agricultural products and live animals (-4%), wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco (-2.8%) and wholesale of other machinery, equipment and supplies (-0.4%).

In March 2026 alone, wholesale trade turnover grew by 8.6% year-on-year, driven by computer and telecommunications equipment wholesale (+29%), specialised wholesale of other products (+21%), and non-food consumer goods wholesale (+12.7%). Only non-specialised wholesale (-10.6%) and raw agricultural products wholesale (-1.8%) declined.

Month-on-month, wholesale trade increased by 24.3% from February to March 2026, while the seasonally adjusted series showed a 3.3% increase.

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Business Forum  |  29 May, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Business Forum  |  29 May, 2026 at 1:00 PM