Eurozone Retail Sales Unexpectedly Fall 0.1%

(RTTNews) - Eurozone retail sales declined for the second straight month in September, data published by Eurostat showed on Thursday.

Retail sales logged a decline of 0.1 percent on a monthly basis in September, the same as in August. Meanwhile, economists had expected a rebound of 0.2 percent.

The continued to fall in September was largely driven by 1.0 percent lower sales of automotive fuel in specialized stores. Sales of non-food products, except automotive fuel, dropped 0.2 percent, while those of food, drinks, and tobacco remained flat.

Year-on-year, retail sales growth moderated to 1.0 percent from 1.6 percent in August, in line with expectations.

In the EU, retail sales stalled compared to September, while they grew 1.3 percent from the previous year.