Malta registered the highest increase in total retail trade in the EU in September, Eurostat said yesterday.

The highest increases in total retail trade were registered in Malta (+1.0%), Luxembourg (+0.9%), Hungary and Slovakia (both +0.7%), and the largest decreases in Germany (-3.2%), Portugal (-2.5%) and Poland (-2.4%).

In September compared with August, the seasonally adjusted volume of retail trade fell by 1.3% in the euro area (EA18) and by 1.2% in the EU28. In August retail trade rose by 0.9% and 1.1% respectively.

In September 2014 compared with September 2013 the retail sales index increased by 0.6% in the euro area and by 1.0% in the EU28.

The 0.6% increase in the volume of retail trade in the euro area in September 2014, compared with September 2013, is due to rises of 0.9% for "Food, drinks and tobacco", of 0.6% for the non-food sector and of 0.5% for automotive fuel.

In the EU28, the 1.0% increase in retail trade is due to rises of 1.5% for the non-food sector and 1.2% for "Food, drinks and tobacco", while automotive fuel fell by 0.2%.

The highest increases in total retail trade were observed in Luxembourg (+12.3%), Estonia (+9.1%) and Bulgaria (+5.6%), while decreases were recorded in Finland (-3.2%), Poland (-1.8%), Denmark and Germany (both -0.8%).