Date: February 06, 2019

According to the latest report published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, “In December 2018 compared with November 2018, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade decreased by 1.6% in the euro area (EA19) and by 1.4% in the EU28.” However, in November, the retail trade volume increased by 0.8% in the euro area while in EU28, a 1% increase was observed.

The report went on to state that in comparison to December 2017, December 2018 calendar adjusted retail sales index rose by 0.8% in the euro area and by 1.2% in EU28. Additionally, “the average retail trade for the year 2018, compared with 2017, rose by 1.4% in the euro area and by 2.0% in EU28.”

Monthly comparison by retail sector and by Member State

In comparison to November 2018, the volume of retail trade declined by 2.7% in the euro area in December 2018, and by 0.3% for ‘food, drinks and tobacco.’ Furthermore, there was an increase by 0.5% for automotive fuel. In the EU28, “the retail trade volume fell by 2.6% non-food products and by 0.4% for foods, drinks and tobacco, while it increased by 0.7% for automotive fuel,” as indicated by the Eurostat.

Notably, the highest decreases in the total retail trade volume were registered in Germany (-4.3%), Sweden (-2.5%) and Estonia (-2.0%). However, the largest increases were observed in Austria (+0.7), Portugal (+0.6%) and Ireland (+0.5%).

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