EU-wide, retail trade rose 2.8% on the year in November, while growth stood at 1.5% in the eurozone.
Eurostat data showed Luxembourg posted the highest growth in retail trade in November, of 10.9%, followed by Estonia with 9%.
The biggest declines in retail trade were registered in Finland (-2.4%) and Austria (-2.3%). Other EU states registered annual growth in November. In the region, Bulgaria’s retail trade grew 2.3% on the year in November and Hungary’s grew 5.2%.
Compared to October, retail trade in Romania saw the third highest growth in the EU in November 2014, of 2.1%, overtaken by Portugal (3%) and Poland (2.3%). The sharpest declines in retail trade were registered by Finland (-2%), Austria (-0.5%) and Belgium (-0.3%).