German Retail Sales Outlook Clouded Despite Surprise Rise in November

German Retail Sales Outlook Clouded Despite Surprise Rise in November
Shoppers wear mask and fill Cologne's main shopping street Hohe Strasse (High Street) in Cologne, Germany, on Dec. 12, 2020. Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters
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BERLIN—German retail sales rose unexpectedly in November, data showed on Tuesday, lifting them to a record annual high despite renewed COVID-19 restrictions which held back a consumer-led recovery in Europe’s largest economy.

The Federal Statistics Office said retail sales were up 0.6 percent on the month in real terms. That beat a Reuters forecast of a fall of 0.5 percent.