Eurozone and EU Retail Trade Experiences Minor Decline

In a recent report by Eurostat, it was revealed that retail trade in both the Eurozone and the European Union saw a slight decrease of 0.1% in March compared to the previous month. However, when compared to the same period last year, the euro area experienced a 1.5% increase in retail trade, with the EU not far behind at a 1.4% growth.

Sector-Specific Trends Highlight Varied Performance

The report detailed that sales volumes for food, drinks, and tobacco dipped by 0.1% in the euro area and by 0.4% in the EU. Non-food products saw a 0.1% decrease in the Eurozone but a slight 0.1% increase in the EU. Notably, automotive fuel sales in specialized stores rose by 0.4% across both regions.

Country-Level Performance Shows Significant Variations

Slovenia faced the steepest decline with a 2% drop in retail sales, followed by Estonia at 1.3% and Slovakia at 0.9%. Conversely, Malta led with a 2% increase, with Belgium and Croatia also showing positive growth at 1.4%.