Europe retail sales slide again in May | Progresiv
Retail sales across Europe slid in May, marking the second straight month of declines, according to new figures from Eurostat. 
During May, seasonally-adjusted sales were down 0.3% month-on-month in volume terms across the 19-member euro area and by 0.4% in the 28-member EU bloc. The declines were wider than those reported in April, continuing the downward trend seen since February.
Compared to May 2018, sales were up 1.3% in both zones, although that growth also marked a downward trend.
Sales of food, drinks & tobacco were particularly weak, declining by 0.5% month-on-month across both the euro zone and the EU bloc. On a year-on-year basis, sales of such products were flat across the euro zone and up by just 0.1% in the EU.
Meanwhile, non-food sales performed slightly better – declining by 0.1% month-on-month in the euro zone and by 0.3% in the EU. On a year-on-year basis, non-food sales rose by 2.2% in the euro area and by 2.3% in the EU. The results were driven by demand for pharmaceutical and medical goods, and improvement in the mail order & online channels, which offset weakness in apparel & footwear. (www.kamcity.com)
