The Austrian retail industry was able to increase its sales last year. This emerges from the current economic report prepared by the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (WIFO) on behalf of the national trade association.
The industry’s total sales, excluding vehicles and gas stations, amounted to 79.5 billion euros in 2025, the Austrian trade association said in a statement on Thursday. This means that compared to the previous year it grew by 2.9 percent in nominal terms and by 0.7 percent in real terms – i.e. adjusted for prices.
The Austrian Trade Association hopes for a “year of gradual recovery” in 2026
Rainer Will, the managing director of the Austrian Trade Association, was confident for the current year given the further findings of the study. The expectations of Austrian trading companies are currently “according to WIFO, higher than they have been in four years,” he emphasized in a statement. “The signals of a return of consumer enthusiasm are increasing. Our new economic report shows: Retail is now coming off the defensive. If this trend continues, 2026 can become a year of gradual recovery.”
At the same time, Will called for an improvement in the general conditions. “But even if sales slowly pick up, the cost burden on our companies remains enormous,” he emphasized. “That’s why we need reforms at all levels of government in order to be able to work competitively again.”
