EU-wide, retail trade rose 4% on the year in January, due to rises for automotive fuel, the non-food sector, and also increased 0.8% on the month. Growth stood at 3.7% on the year in the eurozone.
Eurostat data showed Luxembourg posted the highest growth in retail trade in January, of 10.7%, followed by Hungary with 8.2% and Poland, with 7.5%.
The biggest declines in retail trade were registered in Finland (-1.2%) and Belgium (-0.3%).
Compared to December 2014, the highest increases in total retail trade were registered in Portugal (6.8%), Poland (3.1 %), and Germany (2.9%), while decreases were observed in the United Kingdom (- 0.9%), Lithuania (- 0.5%), Bulgaria and Ireland (both -0.1%).