Luxembourg, 05/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to estimates published on Tuesday by Eurostat, the volume of retail trade rose 2.1% in the Eurozone and 2.5% in the EU as a whole (EU15) in June 2001, compared with June 2000. Compared with May 2001, sales increased by 0.6% in the Eurozone and 0.3% in the EU15.
In June 2001, compared with June 2000, retail trade of 'food, drinks and tobacco' rose by 2% in the Eurozone and 2.3% in the EU15. 'Textiles, clothing and footwear' and 'household goods' increased by 1.3% and 0.7% respectively in the Eurozone and by 3% and 1.8% in the EU15. The volume of retail trade rose in all Member States apart from Germany (-1.3%), Italy (-1.1%) and Portugal (-0.3%). The highest growth rates were recorded in Ireland (8.4%), Finland (6.2%), Spain (4.8%), Belgium (4.7%) and the United Kingdom (4.5%).
Compared with May 2001, in June 2001, 'food, drinks and tobacco' rose by 0.9% in the Eurozone and 0.4% in the EU15. 'Household goods' grew by 0.4% in the Eurozone and 0.6% in the EU15, while 'textiles, clothing and footwear' registered negative growth rates (-0.9% in the Eurozone and -0.5% in the EU15). Positive growth rates were recorded in eight Member States, the highest in Spain, Finland, Ireland and Belgium (between 0.6 and 1.4%), while retail sales decreased in five Member States, especially in Austria (-0.9%) and Portugal (-0.4%)