(Reuters) – German retail sales fell unexpectedly in November, data showed on Wednesday, despite hopes for a boost from pre-Christmas promotions like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Retail sales declined by 0.6% in real terms compared with the previous month, the federal statistics office reported.
Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted a 0.5% increase.
According to an annual estimate given by the statistics office, the retail sector in Germany generated 1.3 % more sales in real terms in 2024 than in 2023.
Real sales in 2024 are expected to be 2.6% above the pre-pandemic level of 2019, the office said.
(Reporting by Isabel Demetz in Gdansk and Maria Martinez in Berlin, editing by Thomas Seythal)
