By Tuba Sahin
ANKARA (AA) - Euro area retail sales slightly rose by 0.2% month-on-month in January, after posting a decline in December, the Eurostat data showed on Friday.
On an annual basis, the figure jumped 7.8% from the same month of last year, the statistical office said.
"In euro area, the volume of retail trade increased by 0.2% for non-food products, remained unchanged for food, drinks, and tobacco, and fell by 1.3% for automotive fuels," it said.
The EU retail sales rose 0.6% in January from a month ago and 8.3% from a year ago.
The highest monthly increases were seen in Poland with 5.9%, Luxembourg 4.2%, and Denmark with 3.7%, while the largest decreases were seen in Slovenia (-4.6%), Portugal (-2.8%), and Lithuania (-2.5%).
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.