Eurozone retail trade gains 0.4 percent in January

会计考友

　　BRUSSELS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Retail trade volume in the eurozone gained 0.4 percent in January compared with the previous month, the European Union's (EU's) statistical bureau Eurostat said Thursday.
　　This was the first time since August 2010 that retail trade volume increased in the 17-member bloc, according to Eurostat.
　　In January, food, drinks and tobacco increased by 0.1 percent month-on-month, while the non food sector expanded 0.6 percent.
% X- }0 s. H. W2 S0 L, Y9 f- e. I6 g　　Year-on-year, the retail sales index gained 0.7 percent in the euro area, according to Eurostat.
　　Revised figures showed retail sales in the eurozone in December declined by 0.4 percent both on monthly and yearly basis.
1 {3 @9 ~2 }& C* ]1 h# p- D# P　　In the 27-nation EU, retail trade volume in January gained 0.6 percent from December and increased by 1.9 percent from the previous year.
2 [: {& M" B, M4 O: F! c/ R( O　　Retail sales are an indication of household demand, one of the three major economic drivers.