Calendar and seasonally adjusted turnover in retail trade in Germany increased by 1.8% in real terms year-on-year in December, the country's statistical office Destatis noted in its report on Friday. Month-over-month, the turnover in real terms fell by 1.6%.
In nominal terms, calendar and seasonally adjusted retail turnover was 0.9% lower than November's reading. Meanwhile, compared to the same month a year ago, the figure climbed by 3.0%.
"December is traditionally the month with the highest turnover in retail. In order to enable a comparison of the previous month, influences due to public holidays, weekend constellations or typical seasonal patterns – such as the traditionally strong Christmas business in December – are offset in the course of calendar and seasonal adjustment," the report noted.