By Sarah Marsh
BERLIN (Reuters) – German retail sales fell unexpectedly in December, suggesting Europe’s debt crisis unsettled consumers during key Christmas trade, although economists said they expected the preliminary data to be revised upwards.
The notoriously volatile indicator fell 1.4 percent in real terms on the month, and 0.9 percent on an annual basis, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed. The indicator missed forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists for gains of 0.9 and 1.4 percent respectively.
“These numbers suggest Christmas business was disappointing for retailers,” said Commerzbank‘s Ulrike Rondorf. “But the statistics office data are often revised.”
“Retailers themselves were relatively optimistic, and private consumption remains, in our view, a supporting pillar of the economy.”
Germany‘s HDE retail association has said retailers saw a strong finish to the Christmas season with turnover for the period expected to be 1.5 percent above year-ago levels
DIY stores operator Praktiker announced a surprise return to sales growth for its namesake German stores in November and December, while fashion house Gerry Weber said revenue in Germany jumped 28 percent in December.
Berenberg Bank economist Holger Schmieding said the December figures were “almost too bad to believe.”
“Anecdotal reports and consumer confidence simply do
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