In January 2025, Romania’s wholesale trade turnover, excluding the motor vehicles and motorcycles sector, recorded a notable month-on-month decline of 13.4% in gross terms. However, when adjusted for working days and seasonal factors, turnover posted a more modest increase of 2.8%. On an annual basis, wholesale turnover decreased by 3.1% in gross terms and by 3.2% in adjusted terms compared to January 2024. The largest monthly contractions in gross turnover were seen in the wholesale of other machinery, equipment and supplies (down 32.9%), followed by computer and telecommunications equipment (down 29%), and food, beverages, and tobacco (down 20.5%). Intermediary trade activities, agricultural products and live animals, and consumer goods (excluding food) also saw declines ranging from 6.1% to 13.9%. A smaller decline was recorded in non-specialized wholesale and specialized wholesale of other products. Despite the overall monthly decline, some categories showed growth when adjusted for seasonal effects, with intermediary activities and several consumer goods sectors contributing positively to the adjusted series. Compared to the same month in the previous year, the most significant annual declines were observed in the wholesale of agricultural raw materials and live animals, which dropped by 33.3%, while machinery and equipment also recorded a fall of 3.4%. However, other segments, including computer and telecom equipment (up 11.4%) and non-specialized wholesale (up 8.7%), registered gains year-on-year. The wholesale turnover indices are calculated using Laspeyres-type methodology and reflect net turnover, excluding VAT and certain non-operating revenues. The data indicates continued volatility in wholesale trade, influenced by sector-specific dynamics and broader economic conditions. Source: NIS - ROMANIA