Eurostat: Romania March Retail Sales Rise At 2nd Fastest Pace In EU

05.04.2011 By Florentina Dragu

Romanian retail sales rose 0.8% on the month in March, the second largest increase in the European Union, official data showed Wednesday.

EU's retail sales were down 0.8% in March compared with February, EU's statistics agency Eurostat said.

Among the member states for which data are available, total retail trade declined in thirteen and increased in eight. The largest decreases were observed in Portugal (-4.7%), Slovenia (-3%) and Germany (-2.1%), and the highest increases in Estonia (+2.1%), Romania, Ireland and Latvia (both +0.6%).

In March compared with the year-earlier month, Romanian retail sales fell 5%, the data showed, above the EU's average monthly decrease of 1%.

Compared with March 2010, total retail trade fell in nine EU states and rose in twelve. The largest decreases were observed in Spain (-9.6%), Denmark (-8.7%) and Portugal (-6.8%), and the highest increases in Poland (+6.9%), Luxembourg (+5.7%) and Lithuania (+5.2%).