Turkey's retail sales increase by 15.2%
Pedestrians walk in Mahmutpasa district, one of Istanbul's biggest textile shopping centers, near Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey, Nov. 24, 2021. (AFP Photo)


The retail sales volume in Turkey, a marker of growing consumer spending, jumped 15.2% year-over-year in October, according to official figures released Monday.

Nonfood sales – excluding automotive fuel – jumped 24.5%, while automotive fuel sales climbed 6% year-over-year in October, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data showed.

Food, drink and tobacco sales rose 4.8% in the same period.

Among nonfood items, textile, clothing, and footwear sales rose the most, climbing 43.5% from October 2020, followed by computers, books and telecommunications equipment (16.7%) and medical goods and cosmetics (15.7%).

Sales by mail order and the internet soared 52.7% year-over-year in October.

On a monthly basis, Turkey’s retail sales volume rose 0.9% in the month.