Retail slipped in Europe in September

Retail sales dropped 0.6 percent August to September in the eurozone and 0.3 percent in the European Union, the data office Eurostat said Wednesday. From September 2012, retail sales rose 0.3 percent in the 17-member currency union. Sales climbed 0.8 percent in the 28-member European Union over the same period, Eurostat said. On an annual basis, retail sales rose in 15 member states and fell in seven. Data was unavailable for the remaining six states, the European Commission's data office said. The highest gains were in Luxembourg, up 19.9 percent, Poland, up 6.5 percent, and Bulgaria, up 6.2 percent. The largest declines were in Slovenia, down 6 percent, Belgium, down 2.8 percent, and Portugal, down 2.2 percent. Data was also unavailable or held back from the Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus and the Netherlands.