Eurozone retail PMI rose to 51.7 in May, hitting a 3-month high, indicating higher monthly sales. By country, Germany retail PMI rose to 13-month high at 55.5. France retail PMI rose to 3-month high at 50.7. Italy retail PMI stayed in contraction at 47.3.
Alex Gill, economist at IHS Markit which compiles the Eurozone Retail PMI, said:
“The latest PMI data signalled a more positive month for the eurozone retail sector, with sales returning to growth on both a monthly and annual basis. In turn, this contributed to the sharpest round of job creation in the current 31-month sequence of hiring.
“The positive trends were lop-sided when looking at country data, however. The rise in monthly sales was driven by a sharp rise in Germany, though a slight increase was also recorded in France. Meanwhile, Germany was the only country to register a rise in year-on-year sales, while Italy recorded a marked decline.”
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