Euro area retail sales down in September

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) – Euro area retail sales decreased by 0.3% in September compared to a month earlier, the Eurostat announced on Friday.

The volume of retail trade also fell in EU27 by 0.2% month-on-month in September.

"In September 2021 compared with September 2020, the calendar adjusted retail sales index increased by 2.5% in the euro area and by 3.2% in the EU," the bloc's statistics office noted.

Rises in retail sales for food, drinks and tobacco, and automotive fuels could not offset the decline in noon-food products sales.

"...the volume of retail trade decreased by 1.5% for non-food products, while it rose for food, drinks and tobacco by 0.7% and for automotive fuels by 1.1%," it said.

Germany (-2.5%), Finland (-1.9%) and the Netherlands (-1.2%) saw the largest decrease in retail sales in September while Estonia (7.1%), Slovakia (2.9%) and Luxembourg (2.3%) registered the highest monthly rise.

The eurozone/euro area, or EA19, represents member states that use the bloc's single currency – the euro – while the EU27 includes all of its member countries.