Italy May Retail Sales Almost Flat on Month, -1.1% on Year

July 24, 2013
Italy May Retail Sales Almost Flat on Month, -1.1% on Year

By Manuela Mesco

ROME--Italy's retail sales in May increased by 0.1%, compared with April, national statistics institute Istat said Wednesday.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130724-702696.html

Retail sales in the euro-zone's third-largest economy declined 1.1% in unadjusted terms from May 2012, Istat added.

Food sales increased 0.6% in May compared with the previous month, while non-food sales fell 0.2%.

Istat also said that in the first five months of 2013 retail sales were down 2.9% compared with the same period last year.

Contracting domestic demand--for household consumption and business investment--has been the main driver of Italy's recession, which has just ended its eight consecutive quarter.

Write to Manuela Mesco at manuela.mesco@dowjones.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130724-702696.html