In August 2014 compared with July 2014, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade rose by 1.2% in the euro area (EA18) and by 1.4% in the EU28, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In July retail trade fell by 0.4% in both zones. In August 2014 compared with August 2013 the retail sales index increased by 1.9% in the euro area and by 2.5% in the EU28. In this area non-food retail sectors are growing faster than the food ones. The volume of total retail trade in August 2014 recorded a 2.5% increase, compared with the same month of 2013. The growth of non-food area sales reached a percentage of 4.9%. Total retail trade rose in all Member States for which data are available, with the highest increases observed in Luxembourg (+12.5%), Estonia (+6.7%) and the United Kingdom (+5.6%). As regard to electrical goods and furniture, Eurostat recorded a + 0.7 increase in July, while a +3.6% was recorded by the sectors of computer equipment, books and other.
| EU28 volume of retail trade 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % change compared with the same month of the previous year | ||||
| Sectors | May | June | July | August |
| Total retail trade | 1.2% | 2.2% | 0.8% | 2.5% |
| Food, drinks, tobacco | 0.2% | 1.6% | -0.8% | 0.0% |
| Non-food products (except automotive fuel), of which: | 2.5% | 3.1% | 2.6% | 4.9% |
| Textiles, clothing, footwear | 3.8% | 2.6% | 1.5% | n.a. |
| Electrical goods and furniture | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.7% | n.a. |
| Computer equipment, books and other | 2.2% | 3.2% | 3.6% | n.a. |
| Pharmaceutical and medical goods | 2.3% | 4.7% | 3.4% | n.a. |
| Mail orders and internet | 12.7% | 11.1% | 9.8% | n.a. |
| Automotive fuel in specialized stores | -0.9% | -0.4% | -2.1% | -0.5% |
| Source: Eurostat | ||||
