Italy Retail Sales Recover 0.6%

(RTTNews) - Italy's retail sales increased for the first time in three months in December, and at a faster-than-expected pace, preliminary data from the statistical office ISTAT reported Wednesday.

The sales value rose 0.6 percent month-on-month in December, reversing a 0.4 percent decrease in November. Economists had expected sales to increase by 0.1 percent.

Sales of food items climbed by 0.6 percent over the month, and those of non-food goods grew by 0.8 percent.

The annual growth in retail sales moderated to 0.6 percent from 1.1 percent in the previous month.

During the year 2024, total retail sales value advanced by 0.7 percent compared to 2023, mainly driven by more demand for food items.