FRANKFURT—Euro zone retail sales surged past all expectations in November, driven by in-store non-food purchases, data from Eurostat showed on Friday, indicating that consumer demand remained healthy even as fresh pandemic-related restrictions were implemented.
Retail sales, a proxy for consumer demand, in the 19 countries sharing the euro rose 1 percent by value on the month, defying expectations for a 0.5 percent drop in a Reuters poll of analysts.
