By Iulian Ernst in Bucharest Retail sales in Romania (chart) increased by 6.6% y/y in January, one of the highest rates in the post-COVID period and four times the revised average growth in 2023 (+1.6% y/y), according to data released by the statistics office INS. In seasonally adjusted terms, Romania’s retail sales marked an impressive 3.8% m/m advance from December. Private consumption is expected to be a major growth driver in Romania this year and the January figures are fully consistent with this. The annual growth figure was dragged down by the sluggish sales of car fuels (+1.6% y/y) and…