Retail sales across the euro zone fell by an accelerating 0.6% in February, data from the Eurostat statistics office showed today.
As cash-strapped consumers tightened their belts, the drop was even sharper given that January's figure was revised downwards to a 0.2% drop, with the annual index slipping by 1.1% compared to February 2009.
Retail sales remained stable month on month throughout the 27-nation European Union as a whole, which also includes Britain, but fell by 0.7% compared to one year earlier.
Among the 20 EU nations for which data was given, total retail trade fell in 13, although Britain showed a 2.2% rise on January's level, with France also posting a 0.6% increase. Portugal suffered the sharpest decline, losing 3.4% month on month.
Food, drink and tobacco sales slumped by 1.6% across the euro zone and by 1.3% throughout the EU.
