German retail sales in December down 1.6%, largest decline in 10 months

ISTANBUL

Germany's retail sales dropped 1.6% from a month ago in December, marking the largest drop since February 2024, according to data released by the country's federal statistics bureau Destatis on Friday.

The decline in the figure came following the upwardly revised no growth in November.

The market expected that the real (price-adjusted) turnover of retail enterprises would not change in December.

Food sales plunged 1.7% in the same period, while non-food retail sales fell by 0.7%.

On a yearly basis, retail sales increased by 1.8% in December, falling short of the market forecast of a 2.5% rise.

Retail sales on a yearly average increased 1.1% in 2024 compared to 2023.

Food retail sales rose 0.7% in 2024 and non-food retail sales increased by 1.4% compared to 2023.