Italy's retail sales recovered at the start of the second quarter, led by an increase in food sales, data from the statistical office ISTAT showed on Wednesday.
The retail sales value rose 0.2 percent month-on-month in April after remaining flat in the previous month. That was in line with economists' expectations.
In February, retail sales logged a slight fall of 0.1 percent.
The value of sales of food items advanced 0.9 percent over the month, while those of non-food goods dropped by 0.4 percent.
On a yearly basis, retail sales growth eased to a six-month low of 3.2 percent in April from 5.8 percent in March. Food sales grew 6.2 percent, and those of non-food items increased 0.4 percent.
Online sales were 2.7 percent higher in April compared to last year, but well below the 9.7 percent rise in the preceding month.
Data also showed that the volume of retail sales dropped by 0.2 percent monthly and by 4.8 percent yearly in April.
