ICSC: February retail sales up 0.5% in EU

The volume of retail trade increased by 0.5% across the European Union in February compared with January, according to seasonally adjusted estimates from the European statistical office Eurostat.

The rise follows an 0.6% increase across the 28 EU member states in January.

The 0.5% increase in February stems from rises of 0.8% for the non-food sector and of 0.6% for the food, drinks and tobacco segment.

The highest increases in total retail trade were registered in Malta (+1.9%), Denmark, Romania and the UK (all +1.4%) and Germany (+1.3%), while the largest decreases were recorded in Estonia (-3.4%), Poland (-1.5%), Slovenia and Finland (both -1.4%).

Commenting on the figures, Neil Blake, head of EMEA research at CBRE, said: 'February’s data highlights a continued recovery of retail sales activity across most of Europe...Much of this growth has been driven by a rise in online sales that has significantly outstripped normal sales in recent months. With guaranteed fast delivery, price comparisons and regular sales, online shopping is now the "convenient" option and increasingly important for bargain hunting shoppers.'

'However', he continued, 'physical stores remain extremely important and the ‘click and collect’ service that many retailers provide has become central to retailers’ multichannel strategies, with a number of high-profile retailers recently announced plans to extend their portfolios.'