Brazil's retail sales annually up 4% in June

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Retail sales in Brazil rose 4% in June on an annual basis, according to data released Wednesday.

The annual figure for May was revised slightly downward from a gain of 8.1% to 7.8%.

This marked the 13th consecutive time that the annual figure showed an increase, said the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.

On a monthly basis, however, retail sales fell 1% in June compared to the previous month.

The figure for May, meanwhile, was revised downward from an increase of 1.2% to a gain of 0.9%.

Supermarket, food product prices, beverages and tobacco led the monthly decline with 2.1%, the institute said in a statement.

They were followed by personal and household sales with 1.8%, and fabrics, clothing and footwear with 0.9%.