(Eurostat) The volume of retail fell by 3.0% in the euro area in December, a downturn after increasing by 1.0% in November.
The retail sales also fell in the EU, with the volumes down by 2.8% in December, compared to an uptick of 0.9% the previous month.
In the euro area, the volume of retail sales in the non-food products category fell by 5.2% in December from November, while food, drinks, and tobacco saw a 0.3% drop. Automotive fuels rose by 0.1%.
In the UE, retail trade volumes fell by 5.0% for non-food products, while food, drinks, and tobacco posted a 0.2% decline. Automotive fuels remained unchanged.
The largest decline in retail trade sales volume were the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. The largest gains were in Latvia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Hungary.
The retail sales in December 2021 were still above the prior year, with the euro area up 2.0% while the EU registered an annual 2.6% increase.
On an average annual basis, retail sales rose by 5.0% and 5.5% in the euro area and EU, respectively in 2021 compared to 2020.
DAX is down -1.54%, EURUSD is up +0.32%.
