BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone retail sales jumped slightly more than expected year-on-year in February with automotive fuel and non-food products driving the growth, data showed on Thursday.
The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said retail sales in the 19 countries sharing the euro rise 0.3% month-on-month in February for a 5.0% year-on-year increase.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 0.6% monthly rise and a 4.8% annual gain.
Eurostat said petrol sales rose 3.2% on the month for a 12.0% year-on-year increase while sales of non-food products rose 0.8% on the month for a 9.3% annual gain.
(Reporting by Jan Strupczewski)
