Fashion pulse: Norway - August 2026

Consumer prices (August)

Clothing and footwear prices in Norway rose 2.2 percent year-on-year in August 2026, according to Statistics Norway (SSB), down from 2.9 percent in July. Headline consumer price inflation rose to 3.3 percent from 3.0 percent, so clothing and footwear inflation ran 1.1 percentage points below the headline rate. On the month, clothing and footwear prices fell 0.4 percent, while overall consumer prices fell 0.3 percent.

Clothing prices rose 2.8 percent YoY in August, while footwear prices fell 1.1 percent, according to SSB. The CPI adjusted for tax changes and excluding energy products (CPI-ATE) rose 3.0 percent YoY, up from 2.7 percent in July.

Retail sales (August, preliminary)

Sales volume at clothing stores rose 1.5 percent YoY in August, calendar adjusted, after a 0.6 percent decline in July, according to preliminary SSB data. In value terms, clothing store sales rose 3.9 percent. Sales volume at footwear and leather goods stores fell 5.7 percent YoY.

Total retail sales volume fell 1.0 percent YoY in August, calendar adjusted, and rose 0.6 percent from July on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to preliminary SSB data. Sales volume via mail order and internet retailers rose 9.2 percent YoY.

Consumer sentiment (third quarter, published August)

The seasonally adjusted main indicator of Finans Norge's quarterly consumer expectations survey, conducted with Verian, improved to minus 16.6 in the third quarter from minus 18.1 in the second, according to the release published on 12 August. Finans Norge said households were very negative about the national economy but slightly positive about their own finances.

Monetary policy and currency (August)

Norges Bank left its policy rate unchanged at 4.25 percent at its meeting on 12 August. The dollar averaged 9.4262 kroner in August, down from 9.7064 kroner in July, according to Norges Bank data, a 3.0 percent rise in the value of the krone. Against the euro, the krone strengthened 1.4 percent to an average of 10.9274 kroner per euro, and it was more than 8 percent stronger against both currencies than in August 2025.

The bottom line

Norwegian clothing and footwear prices rose 2.2 percent YoY in August, 1.1 percentage points below headline inflation of 3.3 percent. Preliminary SSB data show clothing store sales volume up 1.5 percent YoY, while footwear store volume fell 5.7 percent and total retail volume 1.0 percent. Norges Bank held its rate at 4.25 percent, and the krone strengthened against both the dollar and the euro.

Note: this article combines the most recent official data available at the time of writing. Reporting lags differ by indicator and country, so not all figures refer to the same month. Each data point is labelled with its reference period.