Eurozone retail sales dip in October after 3-month growth

By Tuba Ongun

After three consecutive months of growth, Eurozone retail sales posted a decline in October, according to data released on Thursday.

The volume of retail trade in the euro area fell by 0.5% compared to September, reversing the previous month’s 0.5% gain, Eurostat figures showed.

Sales volumes rose modestly by 0.1% for food, drinks and tobacco, and decreased 0.3% for automotive fuel.

On a yearly basis, retail sales in the euro area grew 0.5% in October.

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.

For the EU, retail sales declined 0.3% month-on-month but recorded a 0.4% year-on-year increase.

The largest monthly increases in the total retail trade volume were seen in Luxembourg (2.4%), Poland (2.2%) and Lithuania (1.5%).

On the other hand, the steepest monthly declines were reported in Belgium (1.7%), Germany (1.4%), Denmark and the Greek Cypriot administration (both 1.1%).