Sales of food, drinks and tobacco fell 0.5% on the month in November, while fuel sales declined 0.6%, according to data adjusted for the number of working days and seasonal factors. However, sales of non-food products increased 2.8% on the month.
In annual terms, adjusted retail sales inched 0.1% higher in November, supported mainly by higher demand for non-food products, INS data showed.
Non-food sales rose 5.6% on the year in November, while sales of fuels increased 1.2%. Food sales were down 1.7% on the year.
In the January-November period, adjusted retail sales inched down 0.1% from the year-earlier months.
In unadjusted data, retail sales were down 2.3% in November from a month earlier, but up 1.8% compared with the same period of 2012.