Sales of food, drinks and tobacco declined 3.4% on the month in October, while fuel and non-food sales were down 2.9% and 0.5%, respectively. The data are adjusted for the number of working days and seasonal factors.
In annual terms, adjusted retail sales advanced 0.7% in October, supported by higher demand in most sectors, INS data showed.
Food sales rose 1.6% on the year in October, while sales of non-food items inched up 0.1%. However, fuel sales were 0.3% lower on the year.
In January through October, adjusted retail sales were up 3.9% compared with the year-earlier period.
In unadjusted data, retail sales increased 1.7% in October from a month earlier and were up 2.1% compared with the same period of 2011.