Bulgaria Retail Sales Growth Eases To 3.9%

(RTTNews) - Bulgaria's retail sales growth moderated in January amid fall in sales of food products, figures from the National Statistical Institute showed on Monday.

Retail sales climbed 3.9 percent annually in January, much slower than the 8.2 percent surge in December.

The slowdown in growth was influenced by the continued sales decline of food, beverages, and tobacco, which fell by 4.6 percent versus 2.1 percent in December.

Meanwhile, the annual sales growth in non-food products, except fuel, accelerated to 16.6 percent from 7.0 percent a month ago. Retail sales of automotive fuel in specialized stores also grew at a faster pace of 15.4 percent.

On a monthly basis, retail sales dropped 0.5 percent in January, reversing a 1.6 percent rebound in December.