Eurozone clothing and footwear sales fall again
The Bloomberg Eurozone Retail Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the Eurozone reports that February sales at 49.8 represent an improvement on the marked fall in sales seen in January, when the PMI hit a 23-month low of 47.9.
The fall in month-on-month sales largely reflected a steep sales drop in
Meanwhile, in Italy the index fell from 50.6 to 50.4 as consumers remained cautious in the face of political and economic uncertainty, but by contrast, sales growth picked up significantly in France, accelerating for the first time in four months and showing the strongest growth of the three countries for the first time since last October (the index rose from 50.3 in January to 54.7).
The clothing & footwear and automotive sectors both saw a decline in sales compared with February 2006.
