The traditional December shopping surge has weakened across Europe, with Romania recording a 20% increase in non-food sales during the holiday month compared to the previous 11 months, according to Colliers analysis of Eurostat data from 2015-2024.
While Romania's December boost remains solid, it falls short of countries like Czech Republic, Cyprus and Portugal, where increases exceed 35-40%. Ireland leads the EU with over 70% growth in non-food sales during December, while Romania ranks in the lower half alongside Belgium and Sweden.
"In recent years, we have seen a general decline in the seasonality of December sales across the region, including in Romania. High inflation has eroded real purchasing power, which has led to a cooler year-end effect both in turnover and in the volume of goods sold," explains Silviu Pop, Director CEE & Romania Research at Colliers.
However, Romania performs better in food sales, ranking fifth in the EU with over 20% December growth, trailing only Luxembourg, France, Portugal and Hungary. The differences between countries stem from consumer traditions rather than economic factors, with some markets having stronger year-end shopping cultures.
Colliers estimates December 2025 could show the weakest "December effect" in a decade due to economic pressures and consumer caution. Romania faces additional challenges from labour market softening and job losses after more than a decade of growth, leading consumers to postpone non-essential purchases.
