Retail sales rose a calendar-adjusted 0.5% year-on-year in July, reversing a 0.7% decline in June, which was the first fall in seven months.

Turnover of retail trade in non-food products, except for retail sales of automotive fuels, grew 3.4% yearly in July and those of food products increased 1.7%.

Meanwhile, sales of automotive fuel registered a fall of 8.4% and retail sales via mail order houses or via internet dropped sharply by 10.8%.

On a monthly basis, the seasonally adjusted retail sales declined at a steady rate of 0.4% in July.