EU’s retail sales were up 1.1% in April compared with March, EU’s statistics agency Eurostat said.
Among the member states for which data are available, total retail trade increased in fifteen, declined in five and remained stable in Lithuania. The highest increases were observed in Denmark (+4.3%), Estonia (+3.3%), Portugal (+2.9%) and Luxembourg (+2.5%), and the largest decreases in Malta (-2.8%), Romania and Latvia (-1%)
In April compared with the year-earlier month, Romanian retail sales fell 6.3%, again the second biggest decline in the EU bloc. The EU’s average growth of 1.9%, the data showed.
Compared with April 2010, total retail trade rose in thirteen EU states and fell in eight. The highest increases were observed in Estonia (+9.5%), Luxembourg (+9.4%) and Lithuania (+7.3%), and the largest decreases in Malta (-8%), Romania and Portugal (-4%).