German retail sales fall in March: data

[FRANKFURT] German retail sales, a closely watched measure of household confidence, fell in March, official data showed on Thursday.

Retailers' sales declined by 2.3 per cent in March compared with February, the federal statistics office Destatis said in a statement.

The previous month, retail sales had slipped by 0.1 per cent.

On a 12-month basis, however, business improved strongly, jumping by 3.5 per cent in March compared with the same month last year, the statisticians calculated.

Retail sales data are often revised.

AFP