It was the fourth straight month of decline but the steepest decrease in the sequence, due to softer falls in sales of food, beverages & tobacco (-2.4% vs -7.3% in April), and non-food products (-2.0% vs -3.4%), amid faster rises in automotive fuel (4.3% vs 0.4%).
On a monthly basis, retail activity grew by 7.3% in May, rebounding sharply from a downwardly revised 0.2% drop in the previous month.