Luxembourg, 02/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - According to Eurostat estimates published on Tuesday the seasonally adjusted figures for the volume of retail trade in February 2002 increased by 1.3% in the euro-zone and by 2.2% in the EU15. Compared to January 2002, sales rose by 0.5% in the euro-zone and by 0.6% in the EU15.
Annual variations: In February 2002, as compared to February 2001, retail trade of "food, drinks and tobacco" rose by 1.3% in the euro-zone and by 1.6% in the EU15. The decrease of sales of food in specialised stores continued, this time by 2.7% in the euro-zone and 2.8% in the EU15, while sales in non specialised stores increased by 1.8% and 2.3% respectively. The non food sector gained 0.2% in the euro-zone and 1.7% in the EU15. Among the non food sectors, "textiles, clothing and footwear" remained stable in the euro-zone and increased by 2.8% in the EU15, while "household goods" fell by 1.3% in the euro-zone and rose by 0.7% in the EU15. Compared to February 2001, the volume of retail trade increased in all Member States for which data are available, except in Portugal (-4.1%), Germany (-2.6%) and the Netherlands (-1.2%). The highest growth rates were observed in Spain (7.4%), Belgium (6.0%), United Kingdom (5.8%) and Ireland (4.7%).
Monthly variations: Compared to January 2002, "food, drinks and tobacco" increased by 0.2% both in the euro-zone and the EU15. The "non food" aggregate also rose by 0.2% in the euro-zone and by 0.4% in the EU15. Among the non food sectors, "textiles, clothing and footwear" registered a growth of 0.4% in the euro-zone and of 0.8% in the EU15. The index for "household goods" rose by 0.2% and 0.4% respectively. The volume of retail sales increased in Belgium (5.8%), Ireland (2.8%), Spain (1.8%), Portugal (1.5%), Finland (1.4%), the United Kingdom (0.5%), and the Netherlands (0.3%). The index was unchanged in Italy and decreased in Sweden, Denmark (-0.3% for both) and Germany (-0.1%).