“Boom sales,” what was sold and bought more during the past year?

Neighborhood shops, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, and especially gas stations sold more products at the end of last year. Data from the Institute of Statistics show that retail sales in the fourth quarter of 2024 increased by 7.8 percent compared to the same period in 2023.

The largest contribution to this growth came from the demand for fuel.

Last year, oil imports reached a record high… over 657,000 tons. Compared to 2023, the amount of fuel entering the country increased by around 43,000 tons, or 7 percent. Unlike before, last year’s oil imports were mainly from wet India, replacing neighboring Italy.

The expansion of imports during the entire year and especially the fourth quarter was influenced by vehicle imports and food products.

“At the end of the year, there is an increase due to the holidays. February and March are generally weak,” says a fruit and vegetable trader.

Regarding these, the expansion of sales came more from foreign tourists than from Albanians. “How can we buy with these prices? Seasonal tomatoes cost 1,500 lek. We don’t know what’s going on,” citizens express.

Excluding fuel, retail sales in the fourth quarter of last year grew by 5.3 percent compared to the same period in 2023./A2 CNN