Eurozone Retail Sales Fall Slightly

(RTTNews) - Eurozone retail sales declined in March on falling food and non-food products turnover, Eurostat reported Wednesday.

Retail sales dropped 0.1 percent month-on-month in March, in contrast to the 0.2 percent rise in February. The pace of decline matched economists' expectations.

Sales of food, drinks and tobacco and non-food products slid 0.1 percent each. Meanwhile, automotive fuel sales grew 0.4 percent.

On a yearly basis, retail sales growth softened to 1.5 percent in March from 1.9 percent in February. This was slightly weaker than the forecast of 1.6 percent.

Retail sales in the EU decreased 0.1 percent month-on-month but increased 1.4 percent from the previous year.