Czech Retail Sales Growth Eases To 2.6%

(RTTNews) - The Czech Republic's retail sales growth eased unexpectedly in September after accelerating in the previous month, data from the Czech Statistical Office showed on Friday.

Retail sales, except for motor vehicles and motorcycles, rose a calendar-adjusted 2.6 percent year-on-year in September, after a 3.3 percent increase in August. The expected growth was 4.0 percent.

Sales of automotive fuel in specialized stores alone grew 9.5 percent, though slower than the 11.0 percent surge a month ago.

The annual sales growth of non-food products also softened to 2.8 percent in September from 3.7 percent, while the sales demand of food, beverages, and tobacco dropped by 0.2 percent.

Data showed that online retail sales were 4.2 percent higher in September compared to last year.