Euro zone retail sales declined by 0.2 per cent in August compared to July, according to new figures published this morning.
The Eurostat data also shows that retail trade in the European Union as a a whole, was down 0.3 per cent over the same period.
During the 12-months to the end of August, retail sales fell by 2.6 per cent in the 16 countries using the euro and by 1.8 per cent in the EU27.
The highest retail sales increases were observed in Poland and Spain, and the largest decreases in Latvia, Sweden , Lithuania and Austria .
Sales in the 'Food, Drinks and Tobacco' segment rose 0.5 per cent in August compared to July in the euro zone and by 0.3 per cent in the European Union as a whole.
During the 12-months to the end of August, sales in the segment fell by 1.3 per cent in the euro zone and by 0.3 per cent in the EU27. The non food sector declined by 3.2 per cent and 2.1 per cent respectively over the same period.
