EU retail trade flat in February

   Retail trade in the euro area, composed of 17 nations of the European Union, fell by 0.3 percent from January to February, while retail trade across the broader 27-member region remained flat, according to Eurostat.
   From December to January, trade rose in the euro area rose by 0.9 percent and increased by 0.8 percent in the European Union.
   Among the 27 member states, Estonia and France showed the largest decreases in retail trade at 2.6 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively. The largest retail jump, 4.1 percent, occurred in Luxembourg. Denmark and Malta both experienced 1.5-percent increases. Year over year, Luxembourg registered a 17.3-percent growth in volume; the only country close to that figure was Latvia, which turned in a 4.8-percent, year over year, increase.
   Food, drinks and tobacco trade fell by 0.1 percent and non-food retail fell by 1.1 percent in the euro area. Taking into account the entire EU, food-related retail stayed flat, with non-food trade declining 0.6 percent. Food-related retail declined by 1.5 percent , year over year, in the EU group of 27, and non-food retail rose in the area by 0.2 percent. – Jon Ross