Eurozone Retail Sales Fall as Expected in August

People in a supermarket after the re-opening of the borders, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Rhein Center shopping mall in Weil am Rhein, Germany, on June 15, 2020. Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

BRUSSELS—Eurozone retail sales fell in August, data showed on Thursday, pointing to a weakness in consumer demand and underlining expectations of an approaching recession.

The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said retail sales in the 19 countries sharing the euro fell 0.3 percent month-on-month for a 2.0 percent year-on-year drop.