BERLIN, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Retailers in Germany saw a slight drop in sales in May, according to provisional data published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday.
Revenues in the German retail sector fell by 0.6 percent in real terms and by 0.4 percent in nominal terms in May after adjusted for inflation compared to the previous month, Destatis announced.
Nonetheless, German retailers saw better sales in May than in the same month last year, according to the figures. Adjusted for price increases, sales in real terms were 4 percent higher than in May 2018, while the nominal increase was 4.8 percent higher.
"Sales increased but there was also an extra day of sales and if one adjusts for the extra sales day, then the figures are the same as in the previous year," said Stefan Hertel, spokesperson for the German retail association (HDE).
This year, the month of May had 25 sales days, which was one more than the same month in 2018, the German statistical office noted.
"Online trading remains the growth driver for the entire retail sector," Hertel told Xinhua.
Internet orders and postal orders saw the largest increase in German retail sales last month -- 8.2 percent growth in real terms and 8.7 growth in nominal terms.
Overall, retail sales in Germany continued their upward trend in the first five months of 2019, increasing by 2.8 percent in real terms and 3.5 percent in nominal terms compared to the same period last year, Destatis showed.
According to a recent HDE forecast, German retailers will increase their sales this year by two percent to just over 537 billion euros (606.4 billion U.S. dollars).
On Monday, the HDE's monthly consumption barometer showed that after a significant setback in May, German consumer sentiment was stable and "consumers are optimistic with regard to overall economic development".
Nonetheless, German consumer sentiment would be "characterized by a rather wait-and-see attitude" for the next three months, noted the German retail association.
