The Austrian retail sector faces numerous challenges: Inflation, rising costs (rents, energy, raw materials), supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, technological change and online competition. Customers expect personalised shopping experiences, fast deliveries and easy returns. Sustainability demands require adjustments, and skills shortages make recruitment and retention difficult. Continuous monitoring is crucial to track trends and derive actions. This report is based on the balance sheet database of KMU Forschung Austria, which contains the annual financial statements of over 8,000 Austrian retail companies.