Eurozone retail sales fall as expected

Retail sales across the eurozone fell back as expected in February, with weakness in the region's two largest economies providing a drag, according to figures from Eurostat on Wednesday.

The seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade decreased by 0.2% over the month of February, in line with market forecasts following no change in January.

Monthly growth rates have now remained stagnant or negative for three of the last four reports, signalling a weak holiday selling season and start to 2026 for retailers across the single-currency region.

Sales of food, drinks and tobacco fell by 0.5% over February, remained stable for non-food product, but increased by 0.7% for automotive fuel in specialised stores.

Sales in Germany and France, the eurozone's largest economies, slid by 0.6% and 0.1%, respectively, and were unchanged in Italy and Spain.