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BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Eurozone retail sales, a sign of domestic demand, were stronger than expected in February, driven by higher sales of non-food products, data showed on Wednesday.
The statistics office of the European Union, Eurostat, said retail sales in the 19 countries sharing the euro had increased 0.4% from the previous month, for a gain 2.8% from one year to the next.
Economists polled by Reuters forecast a monthly increase of 0.2% and 2.3%.
According to Eurostat, sales of clothing and footwear rebounded from a 0.6% drop in January to a 1.9% increase in February and increased by 2.0% over the previous year .
On a year-over-year basis, Internet sales rose the most, up 8.8% in February and up from 6.8% in January.
(Report by Jan Strupczewski, edited by Philip Blenkinsop)
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