German retail sales decline in July

Retail sales in Germany declined in July, after rising the previous month, official data showed on Friday. Retail sales fell by 0.9 percent in July compared with June in price, seasonally and calendar-adjusted terms, according to provisional figures by the federal statistics office Destatis. Retails had risen by 0.5 percent in June and analysts surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected another fractional increase of 0.1 percent this month. On a 12-month basis, retail sales were down by 1.0 percent in July. Monthly retail sales data are volatile and subject to frequent revision.