Sales plunged at a faster rate for furniture, radio, TV & household appliances (-14.8% vs -14.7% in April), clothing & footwear (-4.9% vs 0.6%), and pharmaceuticals, cosmetics & orthopedic equipment (-3.8% vs -2.5%).

Meanwhile, softer decreases were noted in other products (-12.3% vs -17.3%), newspapers, books & other sales in specialized stores (-15.2% vs -15.6%), solid, liquid & gaseous fuels (-11.8% vs -14.5%), and food, beverages & tobacco products (-5.3% vs -8%).

On a monthly comparison basis, retail sales fell by 1% in May, following a 0.1% rise in April.