Retail trade sales contracted unexpectedly in October, following a surprise increase in September. Retail trade sales fell 0.2% year on year in October, compared with a revised increase of 1.6% in September. Trading Economics had forecast an increase of 1% for October and the Bloomberg consensus was for a 0.8% rise. The main contributors to the decrease were general dealers, which dropped 2.7%, and retailers in household furniture, appliances and equipment which fell 6.4%. Sales at food, beverages and tobacco in specialised stores; hardware stores; and pharmaceuticals and medical goods outlets grew in October. Seasonally adjusted retail trade sales also dropped, falling 0.7% month-on-month in October. For the three months to October, retail sales rose 0.5% compared with the year-earlier period.
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