German retail sales fell in December by 0.3 per cent on the month when adjusted for inflation, coming in short of forecasts for a sturdy rise, preliminary data from the Statistical Office showed today.

On an annual basis, turnover fell 1.3 per cent. A Reuters poll last week forecast a 1.1 per cent rise year-on-year and an increase of 2.0 per cent versus November.

The office said retail sales rose 1.2 per cent in real terms in 2010 versus the crisis year of 2009, when they fell 3.1 per cent.

The data were based on figures contributed by seven federal states that together comprise about three-quarters of all retail sales in Germany.

Reuters