Italian Retail Sales Fell in April as Pandemic Restrictions Were Extended

By Xavier Fontdegloria

Retail sales in Italy fell in April after a flat reading in March, as coronavirus-related restrictions that kept stores closed were extended in many regions.

The retail-trade index decreased 0.4% on month in April after being unchanged the previous month, data from the country's statistics agency Istat showed Tuesday. Retail sales levels in April were still lower than pre-pandemic levels of February 2020, the report said.

On an on-year basis, Italian retail sales increased by 30.4% in April due to low base effects in April last year when the first lockdown prompted extensive closures to combat the public health emergency, Istat said.

Italy's economy, the third largest in the eurozone, expanded by 0.1% in the first quarter. Economists expect the economy to accelerate from the second quarter onward amid the acceleration in the vaccination campaign and the reopening of the hard hit services sector.

Write to Xavier Fontdegloria at [e-mail]

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

06-08-21 0519ET