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

The statistical office of the European Union, Eurostat, announced on Friday that in March retail sales in the euro area decreased by 1.2 percent and in the European Union by 1.1 percent compared to February, when it was 0.2 percent in the euro area and 0 in the EU. .3 percent decrease in traffic was registered compared to January.

In an annual comparison, retail turnover in the euro area fell by 3.8 percent in March after a 2.4 percent decrease in February, while in the EU it shrank by 4.1 percent in March after a 2.6 percent decrease in February.

Analysts had previously expected a smaller, 0.1 percent monthly contraction in the Eurozone and a more modest, 3.1 percent annual decline.