Lithuanian Retail Sales Growth Slows In December

Lithuania's retail sales turnover increased at a slower pace in December, preliminary data released by the Department of Statistics showed Friday.

Retail sales, excluding automobiles, increased 12.1 percent on an annual basis in December, slower than the 14.6 percent growth seen in November. In October, sales grew 10.2 percent annually.

Retail sales of food, beverages and tobacco rose 8.3 percent annually, while clothing and footwear sales climbed 21.6 percent. There was a 20.9 percent growth in sales of non-food products during the month.

Month-on-month, retail sales climbed 17.2 percent in December. In the year 2011, sales grew 8.8 percent from the previous year.