Retail managers in Austria are skeptical about the fourth quarter - in contrast to many EU countries. The balance of positive and negative expectations of managers in the Austrian retail sector regarding the business situation in Q4 2024 is higher than in the previous year, but remains in negative territory.
On average across the EU, the outlook for the fourth quarter (and therefore also for Christmas business) is turning positive again this year. Retail managers in 18 EU countries are starting the fourth quarter with positive expectations, while the outlook is negative in 7 countries. No forecast data is available for two EU countries. The “negative zone” in the EU stretches from France to Belgium, Germany, Austria and Hungary and also includes the northern European countries of Finland and Estonia.
The country-specific developments in the retail sector and in the consumer climate in the year to date are reflected in the diverging assessments of retail managers for the fourth quarter and are therefore also an initial forecast indicator for the Christmas business in the individual EU countries, which is so important for the retail sector.