German retail sales in September fell more sharply than expected, dropping 0.4 percent month-on-month and 1.4 percent year-on-year in real terms, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed on Tuesday. The mid-range forecast of analysts polled by was for retail sales to remain unchanged month-on-month and fall by 1.3 percent year-on-year in real terms . According to the data, based on figures from six German states accounting for 81 percent of the total goods sold, retail sales fell in nominal terms by 0.4 percent from August and by 1.2 percent from September 2003, the Office said. Sales in the first nine months of the year fell by 1.3 percent in real terms and 1.1 percent in nominal terms. The Statistics Office said that September had 26 business days, the same as August.///www..com