The European Union's statistics agency Eurostat said retail sales in the euro area rose by 1.5% in November from the previous month. Analysts had expected a 1.4% increase.
The retail sales in the EU28 climbed by 1.5% from October. In November 2017 compared with November 2016, the calendar adjusted retail sales index increased by 2.8% in the euro area and by 2.7% in the EU28. Economists had predicted a 2.2% rise year-over-year.
The annual percentage change has been revised from +0.4% to +0.2% in the euro area and from +0.9% to +0.7% in the EU28.
In November, sales of food and tobacco products rose by 1.6% in the euro area and by 1.4% in the EU on a yearly basis. Retail sales of non-food products in the euro area and the European Union grew equally by 4.1% year-over-year.
