Eurozone retail trade down by 1.6% in December

The seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade in eurozone's 17 nations in December 2013 fell by 1.6 percent compared to November, European Union (EU) statistics office Eurostat said on Wednesday. It was the largest falling in eight months and reflected recession in the currency bloc with Christmas consumption failure to stimulate the economy. In the wider 28-member EU, retail trade fell by 0.8 percent in December compared to the previous month. On a yearly basis, the retail sales index in December 2013 decreased by 1.0 percent in the euro area and rose by 0.1 percent in the EU. On a monthly base, "Food, drinks and tobacco" retail sales fell by 1.4 percent in the eurozone and by 0.7 percent in the EU. The non-food sector retail sales decreased by 1.8 percent and 0.9 percent respectively. With respect to annual changes, "Food, drinks and tobacco" fell by 1.6 percent in the euro zone and by 1.2 percent in the EU. The non food sector decreased by 0.4 percent in euro zone but rose by 1.2 percent in the EU.