Europe retail sales slip in April | Progresiv
Retail sales across Europe reported a decline in April, marking the first such negative result in 2019, although it continued the downward trend seen over the past four months. 
According to figures from Eurostat, sales in the 19-member euro zone were down 0.4% month-on-month, while they declined by 0.3% in the 28-member EU bloc. Compared to April 2018, sales in the eurozone rose by 1.5% (marking a decline from March), while they were up 2.9% in the EU bloc.
On a month-on-month basis, sales of non-food items declined by 0.4% across both the eurozone and the EU bloc. Meanwhile, sales of food, drinks & tobacco were down 0.4% in the eurozone and by 0.2% in the EU.
On an annual basis, non-food sales rose by 1.2% in the eurozone and by 3% in the EU; sale of food, drinks & tobacco were up 1.5% in the eurozone and by 2.7% in the EU.
The results were affected by declines in key markets such as Germany, Spain, and the UK, although this was partially offset by growth in Eastern European countries such as Slovenia, Croatia, and Lithuania. (www.kamcity.com)
