Retail posts marginal gains in Europe

BRUSSELS, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Retail sales rose marginally month to month in the European Union in November, the data office Eurostat said Tuesday.

In the 27-nation EU, sales rose 0.2 percent while in the 17-nation eurozone, sales were up 0.1 percent, Eurostat said..

With data unavailable or withheld by the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary and the Netherlands, Eurostat said Finland posted the largest gain for November with sales up 2.2 percent. Romania followed with sales up 1.9 percent. Latvia saw a 1.4 percent bump.

Sales declined fastest in Luxembourg, where sales fell 1.5 percent, and Estonia, where sales dropped 1.3 percent.