Eurozone retail sales beat expectations in February

Retail sales in the Eurozone rose more than expected in February, according to data from Eurostat.

Sales were up 0.2% on the month compared with expectations for a flat reading.

On the year, sales in the 19 countries that share the euro rose 2.4%, beating economists’ expectations of a 1.9% increase.

Food, drinks and tobacco sales were up 0.5%, helping to offset a 0.2% drop in non-food products.

In terms of countries, retail sales fell 0.4% in Germany, but rose 0.6% in France.