Retail sales in Germany fell slightly in August, as high oil prices weighed on consumer sentiment.
German retail sales slipped by 0.8% compared with July, the federal statistics office Destatis said. In July, retail sales had slipped by 0.5%.
On a 12-month basis, however, German retailers reported an increase in business of 2.2% in August. But that was largely because there was one more shopping day in August this year than in August 2004.
According to a poll published on Wednesday by the market research group GfK, worries about surging oil prices and the current political stalemate in Germany are weighing on consumer sentiment.
