France’s overall trade sales volume rose 0.4% MoM in March after falling -0.1% MoM in February, with gains across all major trade sectors. On an annual basis, sales were down -0.8% YoY.

• Retail trade (ex-motor vehicles) increased 0.3% MoM, driven by a 0.5% rebound in specialised store sales and a 3.4% jump in information & communication equipment.
• Wholesale trade (ex-motor vehicles) rose 0.5% MoM, led by agricultural raw materials (+5.9%) and other machinery & equipment (+1.7%), while ICT wholesale fell -3.0%.
• Sales in motor vehicles and motorcycles rose 0.2% MoM, with motor vehicle sales up 0.6% after a prior -0.3% decline.
• YoY, overall trade volume declined -0.8% in Q1 2025, with sharp falls in motor vehicles (-4.5%) and moderate drops in wholesale (-1.2%), offset by a 2.0% rise in retail trade.
• Early estimates suggest April retail sales (ex-motor vehicles) rose 0.3% MoM and were up 1.8% YoY for the Feb–Apr period.