German Retail Sales Fall Unexpectedly

(RTTNews) - Germany's retail sales declined unexpectedly in January, data from Destatis showed Monday.

Retail sales decreased 0.9 percent month-on-month in January, in contrast to the revised 1.2 percent increase in December. Sales were expected to remain flat.

In the food sector, retail sales remained unchanged from a month ago. Meanwhile, non-food sales declined 1.7 percent.

On a yearly basis, growth in retail sales eased to 1.2 percent from 2.5 percent in December.

In nominal terms, retail sales remained flat on a monthly basis and increased 2.5 percent from the previous year.