Retail sales in the eurozone were up by 1.1% in July this year, while those in Portugal rose by 1.8% when compared with the previous month.
The greater tally of sales in Portugal was the second highest in the single bloc coming after only Luxembourg where sales increased by 2.3% more than the month before.
Eurostat reports that on average in the eurozone more money was spent in July than in June this year on car fuel, on food and drinks and a bit more on ‘non-food’ items such as clothes, shoes and the online purchase of goods.
Comparing results with the year before, Portugal’s sales boomed. Growth was up by 4.2%, topping the eurozone average of nearly 3%.
Indeed, for the first half of 2016 retail sales in Portugal have zoomed ahead with healthy percentages of growth recorded in every month, with the sole exception of May.
Compared to last year, across the eurozone shoppers spent significantly more in July in all categories of goods, with particular growth in internet and mail order sales.
The increased sale of retail goods was highest in Luxembourg (12%) and Lithuania (6%), followed by Spain and France (5% in both).
Sales continued to decline markedly in beleaguered Greece for every month of 2016. Belgium and Malta have also experienced months of declines.
Outside the euro area, sales have done nothing but increase healthily for every month of 2016 in the UK while conversely sales have dropped every month in Switzerland.
In ten years to 2007, retail sales were at their lowest in the spring of 2013. A rocky ascent followed but by January 2016 sales were back at the level they had been in January 2007.
By this July, sales have finally outstripped the pre-crisis rate.
