04.08.201704:31:00UTC+00Italy Retail Sales Growth Exceeds Expectations

Italy's retail trade grew more than expected in June largely driven by a rebound in food sales, data from the statistical office Istat showed Friday.

Retail sales grew 0.6 percent month-on-month in June, after staying flat in May. Sales were forecast to grow marginally by 0.1 percent.

Food sales advanced 0.9 percent in contrast to a 0.8 percent fall in May. At the same time, growth in non-food store sales held steady at 0.5 percent.

Data showed that annual growth in retail sales accelerated to 1.5 percent from 1 percent in the previous month.

The volume of retail trade increased 0.8 percent from May and advanced 1.3 percent from the previous year.