German retail sales rise strongly in January: data

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

Retailers' sales climbed by 2.9 per cent in January compared with December, the federal statistics office Destatis said in a statement.

The previous month, retail sales had increased by 0.6 per cent.

On a 12-month basis, business improved even more, jumping by 5.3 per cent in January compared with the same month last year, the statisticians calculated.

That was the biggest increase since June 2010, they said.

Retail sales data are often revised.

AFP