By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - Euro area retail sales fell 0.1% in December 2025 from a month ago, exceeding market expectations, according to official data released by Eurostat on Thursday.
The decline in the eurozone followed a downwardly revised 0.1% increase in November, while the market expectation was a monthly decrease of 0.2% for December.
In the EU, the retail trade also fell 0.5% from the previous month in December.
The highest decline in sales volumes in the euro area was seen in non-food products (except automotive fuel), down 1.2% on a monthly basis.
The sales volumes in December rose 0.1% for food, drinks, tobacco, while they were stable for automotive fuel in specialized stores.
Among EU members for which data are available, the largest monthly declines were seen in Portugal (-3.1%), Sweden (-1.9), and Denmark (-1.6%).
The largest rises in December were in Luxembourg (up 7%), Slovakia (3.1%), and Croatia (1.8%).
On an annual basis, retail sales grew 1.3% in the euro area and 1.7% in the EU, below market forecasts.
The eurozone/euro area, or EA21, is made up of member states that use the bloc's single currency, the euro, whereas the EU27 includes all member countries.