Retailers in the 15 euro zone countries saw demand slip less than expected in September despite the worst financial crisis for generations, official EU data showed today.
The volume of retail sales in the euro zone eased 0.2% lower in September over one month and fell 1.6% over one year, the European Union's Eurostat data agency said.
The result marked a deterioration from August when retail sales rose 0.3% over one month and fell 1.5% over one year, revised data showed. However, it nonetheless exceeded economists' forecasts for retail sales to fall 0.3% over one month and fall 2.3% over one year.
In the 27-nation EU, retail sales were down 0.1% in September from August and eased 0.4% over 12 months.
