ATHENS — The volume of retail sales fell 3.5 pct in September this year compared with the same month in 2019, Hellenic Statistical Authority said on Monday. The statistics service attributed this development to a 12.6 pct decline in fuel-lubricants, an 8.6 pct drop in clothing-footwear, an 8.1 pct decline in food-alcohol-tobacco and an 1.8 pct fall in supermarkets. On the other hand, the volume of sales rose 20.5 pct in pharmaceuticals-cosmetics, 6.3 pct in bookstores, 1.8 pct in department stores and 0.5 pct in furniture-home equipment.

The statistics service said that the retail sales volume index (turnover in fixed prices) fell 3.5 pct in September from September 2019 and dropped 6.8 pct compared with August. The seasonally-adjusted index was unchanged in September from August 2020.

The retail sales turnover index (turnover in current prices) fell 3.5 pct in September from September 2019 and fell 3.2 pct from August 2020. The seasonally-adjusted index rose 0.2 pct in September from August 2020.