Euro zone retail sales slipped by 0.4% in September from August but rose 0.9% compared to the same month the previous year, the European Union's Eurostat statistics agency said today.
Analysts had been expecting a 0.7% drop over one month and a 1.1% increase over one year in the 12-nation zone which shares Europe's single currency.
Economists have been looking for signs of improving household demand, which has been the weak link so far in a recovery underway in the euro zone as business confidence improves and industrial output picks up.
The September figures, which were only a first estimate by Eurostat, marked a slowdown in consumer spending from August when retail sales rose 0.9% over one month and 2% over the year.
In the 25-nation European Union, retail sales slipped 0.1% in September from August and grew 1.4% from the same month in 2004.
