German retail sales recover, but weaker than expected

By Tuba Ongun

Germany's retail sales in January rose 0.2% from the previous month, falling short of market expectations, according to data released on Friday.

The figure marked a rebound from an upwardly revised 0.9% decline in December, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said.

Market analysts had projected a 0.4% increase in real (price-adjusted) retail turnover for January.

Food sales gained 1.5% month-on-month, while non-food retail sales edged down 0.2%.

On an annual basis, retail sales grew 2.9% in January, following a 2% rise in December, according to Destatis data.