Eurozone and EU Retail Trade Experience Marginal Decline

Retail trade in the Eurozone and the European Union experienced a slight decrease of 0.1% in March compared to the previous month, as reported by Eurostat. Despite this monthly dip, the year-on-year comparison shows a positive trend, with the euro area witnessing a 1.5% increase and the EU recording a 1.4% growth.

Varied Sector Performance

The retail sales volumes for food, drinks, and tobacco saw a minor decline of 0.1% in the euro area and a 0.4% decrease in the EU. In contrast, sales of non-food products fell by 0.1% in the Eurozone but rose by 0.1% in the EU. Notably, automotive fuel sales in specialized stores increased by 0.4% across both regions.

Country-Specific Trends

Slovenia faced the most significant month-on-month decrease at 2%, followed by Estonia at 1.3% and Slovakia at 0.9%. Conversely, Malta led with a 2% increase in retail sales, with Belgium and Croatia also showing positive growth at 1.4%.