German January retail sales fall more than expected

2nd Mar 2026 07:52

(Sharecast News) - German retail sales fell a more than expected 0.9% in January compared to the previous month, according to official data published on Monday.

Analysts had forecast a fall of 0.2%. Compared to January 2025, sales increased by 1.2%, federal statistics office Destatis said.

Food sales remained unchanged in real terms month on month and were up 0.9% on an annual basis. In the non-food retail sector, sales in January fell 1.7% compared to December and increased by 0.4% month on month, while online and mail-order sales rose 2.5% from the previous month.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com