Retail sales off slightly in Europe

BRUSSELS, April 5 (UPI) -- Retail sales dropped in February in 11 European Union member states and rose in 10 compared to January, Eurostat said Tuesday.

The figures are for 21 of the 27 EU member states with data unavailable from six countries, Eurostat said.

Overall, sales fell 0.1 percent in both the EU and in the 17 eurozone countries that share the euro as currency.

Nationally, the biggest retail sales increases were posted in February by Lithuania, up 2.2 percent; Malta, up 1.8 percent; and Estonia, up 1.6 percent.

The largest decreases were reported by Slovenia, where sales were off 1.3 percent; France, off 1.1 percent, and Belgium, off 0.8 percent.