According to the European Statistical Office, the annual increase in both areas is accompanied by the monthly comparison, with retail sales advancing by 1.5 percent in both the euro zone and the EU, with Portugal growing slightly above average (1.6 percent).

In the annual comparison, the largest increases in retail sales were recorded in Ireland (13.8 percent), Denmark (12.5 percent) and Lithuania (8.5 percent) while the main declines were observed in Slovenia (-11.1 percent), Malta (-7.2 percent) and Bulgaria (-5.3 percent).

Compared to September, Denmark (8.3 percent), Croatia (5.5 percent) and France (2.8 percent) reported the largest increases in retail sales and Slovenia (-1.4 percent), Slovakia (-1.2 percent), the Netherlands (-0.7 percent) and Luxembourg (-0.3 percent) the only indentations.