German Retail Sales Unexpectedly Fall

Germany’s retail sales slipped 0.2% month-over-month in August 2025, missing market forecasts of a 0.5% increase and following a downwardly revised 0.5% drop in the previous month. This marked the fourth monthly decline so far this year, dragged by a 1.0% fall in non-food sales and a 3.8% drop in online and mail-order businesses, while food sales rose 0.6%. On an annual basis, retail trade grew 1.8%, easing from a 2.9% gain in July and marking the slowest pace in 13 months, as weaker food spending offset gains in non-food and online and mail-order businesses categories.