Euro Area Retail Sales Decline in April

(MENAFN) Retail trade volume in the euro area fell by 0.4% in April compared with the previous month, slightly worse than market expectations, according to Eurostat data released Thursday.

The decline reversed part of March’s growth, when retail trade had increased by 0.8% in the euro area and 1.1% across the European Union.

Economists had expected a smaller monthly drop of 0.3%, but official figures showed a slightly deeper contraction.

Across the broader EU, retail trade also decreased by 0.5% compared with March.

On an annual basis, however, retail activity still showed modest growth, rising 1.0% in the euro area and 0.9% across the EU compared with April of the previous year.

The monthly decline was mainly driven by weaker sales in several categories, including a 2.7% drop in automotive fuel sales and a 0.9% decrease in non-food products excluding fuel. In contrast, sales of food, beverages, and tobacco rose by 0.9%.

EU-wide trends showed a similar pattern, with fuel sales down 2.4% and non-food products falling 1.2%, while food-related sales increased by 0.5%.

Among member states, the largest monthly declines were recorded in Denmark (down 4.5%), Romania (down 2.6%), and both Belgium and Slovakia (down 1.8%), reflecting broad but uneven weakness in retail activity across Europe.

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