FX.co ★ Euro Area Retail Sales Slip 0.5% in December, Reversing November’s Modest Gain

Euro zone retail sales fell 0.5% month-over-month in December 2025, reversing the slight 0.1% increase recorded in November 2025. The latest figures, updated on 5 February 2026, underline a weakening in consumer activity at the end of the year.

The data, measured on a month-over-month basis, show that while November’s reading had pointed to broadly flat but marginally positive momentum, December’s decline signals a pullback in spending compared with the previous month. The comparison is based on changes in retail activity from one month to the next, highlighting a deterioration in short-term consumption trends across the euro area as the year closed.