Retail in Europe flat in August

Retail sales were flat in Europe in August compared with July, the official data office Eurostat said Wednesday. In the 17-nation eurozone, retail sales rose 0.1 percent month-to-month, but in the 27-member European Union, sales volume dropped 0.1 percent, Eurostat said. The flat month in the retail sector followed a July that was nearly as flat. In July, sales rose 0.1 percent in the eurozone and 0.2 percent in the European Union compared to June. In August, sales were off 1.3 percent in the eurozone compared to August 2011. Over the same period, sales were stable in the EU, the data office said. The largest month-to-month increases among nations were in Luxembourg (up 2.9 percent), Portugal (up 2.8 percent) and Slovenia (up 2.2 percent). The largest decreases month-to-month were in Poland (with sales off 1.3 percent), Denmark (down 1.1 percent) and France and Lithuania (both off 0.8 percent).