German retail sales slipped by 0.3% in December from the previous month, figures released today by the national statistics service showed, but gained by 1.2% for 2010 as a whole.
The provisional monthly drop at the end of the year was much better than a slump of 1.9% recorded in November, the Destatis office figures showed.
Germany, which has the biggest European economy, has traditionally relied on exports for growth, but lower unemployment and stronger wages have helped boost consumption and economists forecast it will help underpin activity this year.
Inflation has picked up meanwhile, reaching a two-year high of 1.9% in January according to Destatis data, but the government still expects growth of 2.3% this year, following a record post-reunification rate of 3.6% in 2010.
