Euro Area Retail Sales Decline in April
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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