Retail sales across the euro zone fell by 0.4% in August following a modest 0.1% rise in July, the latest figures from the European Union figures show today.
In the wider, 27-nation EU, which includes non-euro members Britain and Poland, retail sales fell by 0.3% in August after a 0.1% rise in July, the Eurostat data agency said.
Romania posted the biggest rise at 5.2%, followed by increases of 1.3% in Lithuania and 1.1% in Spain. The countries with the biggest falls were Austria, with a drop of 3.6%, Slovenia, 2.6%, and Malta, 2.1%.
Sales in food, drinks and tobacco fell by 0.7% across the euro zone while non-food products excluding fuel grew by 0.3%.
On a 12-month comparison, the August sales figures rose by 0.6% in the euro zone and 0.8% in the entire EU.
