Eurozone retail sales stronger than expected in January

Eurozone retail sales rebounded more strongly than expected in January, official EU data showed Monday, raising economists' expectations for a long-awaited recovery in consumer demand.
Eurozone retail sales rose by 0.8 percent in January over one month and 0.9 percent over one year boosted by strong growth in Germany, according to figures from the EU's Eurostat statistics agency.
The numbers were better than expected by private economists who had forecast an increase of 0.7 percent on both a monthly and annual basis. They also marked an improvement from December when sales fell 0.1 percent over one month and rose 0.5 percent over one year despite the holiday season.
The performance was boosted by particularly strong growth in Germany as retail sales bounced back from a weak showing in December. In Germany, the biggest economy in Europe, retail sales grew 2.7 percent in January over one month and 1.5 percent over one year.
Economists said that the data was positive for the eurozone economy, which so far has seen growth in consumer spending trail behind business investment in the current recovery.