Eurozone retailers had a bumper month in January, according to the Markit Retail Purchasing Managers’ Index.
The Eurozone Retail PMI improved to 55.8 in January, from 52.9 in December. The latest figure was the second-highest since the series started in January 2004, just short of the record 56.3 posted in May 2006, said Markit.
“Continuous growth in retail sales has now been sustained for three months, the longest sequence since that which ended in December 2006.”
France recorded the fastest rate of increase, followed by Germany. French retailers recorded a third straight monthly increase in sales revenues in January. Moreover, the rate of growth accelerated further to the fastest since May 2008.
German retail sales rose for the fourth successive month in January. That was the longest sequence of growth of the past four years. Furthermore, the rate of expansion was the strongest since last July, the sixth-fastest in the series history and a record for the month of January.
Italy posted the first month-on-month growth in retail sales for a year in January. That said, the rate of expansion was modest, and weaker than those registered for France and Germany.
