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

The statistical office of the European Union, Eurostat, announced on Tuesday that in February, retail trade in the euro area decreased by 0.8 percent and in the European Union by 0.9 percent compared to January, while compared to last February, it decreased by 3 percent in the euro area and by 3 percent in the European Union. Retail sales fell by 1 percent.

Analysts had expected a larger, 3.5 percent annual decline in retail sales in the euro area, while the 0.8 percent month-on-month decline was the same as expected.