BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone retail sales fell in September, in line with expectations, data showed on Wednesday, underscoring weak consumer demand and the prospect of a recession.
Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, said retail sales in the 20 countries sharing the euro fell 0.3% month-on-month and 2.9% lower. one year to the next in September.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected declines of 0.2% month-on-month and 3.1% from a year earlier.
The monthly decline was mainly due to a sharp decline in non-food sales, including online sales, which both fell 1.9% compared to August. Fuel sales also fell 0.9%.
Fuel sales and online purchases also declined sharply year-on-year.
The euro zone economy contracted by 0.1% in the three months to the end of September, according to data released last week.
(Reporting Phil Blenkinsop; Mariana Abreu, editing by Kate Entringer)
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