Bulgaria among EU states with sharpest drops in retail trade
Bulgaria was among European Union states that saw the sharpest declines in retail trade, as measured on an annual basis as of May 2010, EU statistics office Eurostat said on July 5 2010.In May 2010, compared with April 2010, the volume of retail trade decreased by 0.4 per cent in the 16-member euro zone, but remained stable across the 27 member states of the EU. In April, retail trade fell by 0.9 per cent and one per cent, respectively.In May 2010, compared with May 2009, the retail sales index declined by 0.9 per cent in the euro area and by 0.4 per cent in the EU27.Monthly changesIn May 2010, compared with April 2010, the category food, drinks and tobacco fell by 0.5 per cent in the euro area and by 0.1 per cent in the EU27. The non food sector decreased by 0.1 per cent in the euro area, but rose by 0.1 per cent in the EU27.Eurostat said that, among the EU member states for which data are available, total retail trade increased in 13 and declined in six. The highest increases were in Denmark (3.8 per cent), Poland(3.5 per cent) and Estonia (1.7 per cent), and the largest decreases in Malta(-3.8 per cent) and Portugal (-0.8 per cent)Annual changesIn May 2010, compared with May 2009, food, drinks and tobacco fell by 1.1 per cent in both the euro zone and the EU27. The non food sector declined by 0.3 per cent in the euro area, but rose by one per cent in the EU27.Among EU member states for which data are available, total retail trade decreased in 12, rose in six and remained stable in Slovenia. The largest decreases were observed in Lithuania (-10.7 per cent), Bulgaria(-8.7 per cent) and Latvia (-8.4 per cent), and the highest increases in Sweden and the United Kingdom (both +2.3 per cent) and Finland (+1.8 per cent).