Euro zone retail sales post record slide in April as even food down

Euro zone retail sales fell at a record pace in April.

Shopping declined for nearly all items, including food and drink, as most across the bloc stayed home.

But the fall was not as steep as expected.

Sales in the 19 countries sharing the euro fell by over 11% in April from March.

And by over 19% year-on-year.

That was compared with a Reuters poll suggesting 15% and 22% declines respectively.

The month-on-month drop though was the steepest in Eurostat data going back to 1999.

And the year-on-year change was the worst on record.

Even sales of pharmaceuticals and medical goods were down.

The sharpest declines were for automotive fuel, clothing, footwear and textiles.

But one bright spot was a sharp 10.9% month-on-month rise in mail order and internet shopping.

Finland was the one and only country to register an overall increase, with sales edging up 0.3% on the month.