Retail sales decreased in the euro area and the EU in December

The statistical office of the European Union, Eurostat, announced on Monday that in December retail sales in the euro area decreased by 2.7 percent and in the European Union by 2.6 percent compared to November, when both the euro area and the EU recorded a 1.2 percent increase in sales. were registered compared to October.

In an annual comparison, retail turnover in the euro area fell by 2.8 percent in December after a 2.5 percent decrease in November, while in the EU it shrank by 2.5 percent in December after a 2.1 percent decrease in November. Compared to November, the retail turnover in December increased by 2.3 percent in Slovakia, as well as in Austria (1.6 percent) and Romania (1.3 percent). On a monthly basis, retail turnover decreased most significantly in the Netherlands (-6.3 percent), Germany (-5.3 percent), and Luxembourg (-3.8 percent).

In the last month of last year, on an annual basis, traffic increased the most in Malta, by 5.7 percent. The second largest increase was in Romania with 5.3 percent, followed by Spain with 4.6 percent. The most significant annual decrease was in Belgium, 9.2 percent, followed by 8.4 percent in Denmark and 7.1 percent in Sweden.