Retail sales in the Euro Area unexpectedly fell 0.3% month-on-month in June 2026, almost fully reversing an upwardly revised 0.4% increase in May and defying market expectations for a 0.1% gain. Sales decreased for food, drinks and tobacco (-0.5% vs 0.4% in May) and non-food products except auto fuel (-0.4% vs 0.5%) while sales of auto fuel rebounded (1.5% vs -1.8%). Considering the bloc's largest economies, retail sales declined in Germany (-1.1% vs 1.2%) and France (-0.5% vs -0.1%) but increased in Italy (0.2% vs -0.3%), Spain (0.3% vs 0.6%) and the Netherlands (0.4% vs -0.1%). Year-on-year, retail sales were up 0.7%, the smallest gain since July 2024, following an upwardly revised 1.9% increase in May and compared to forecasts of 1%.