Euro-Zone retail sales down 0.5% in May

Retail sales volume in the 13 countries that share the euro slowed more than expected in May.
The volume of retail trade fell 0.5% on the month but rose 0.4% on the year, said Eurostat. This was a sharper fall than expected. Economists had predicted that sales volume would fall 0.3% in May.

Eurostat also revised down its estimates for sales growth in April to a 0.1% decline on the month and 1.5% growth on the year, having previously calculated that sales grew 0.2% on the month and 1.6% on the year.