German retail sales rise 0.5% in May

[FRANKFURT] German retail sales, a closely watched measure of household confidence, rose in May, official data showed on Tuesday.

Retailers' sales increased by 0.5 per cent in May compared with April, the federal statistics office Destatis said in a statement.

The previous month, retail sales had risen by 1.3 per cent.

On a 12-month basis, however, business declined, slipping by 0.4 per cent in May compared with the same month last year, the statisticians calculated.

That was because there were two fewer shopping days in May 2015 than in May 2014, Destatis said.

Retail sales data are often revised.

AFP