Euro zone sales rise 2.4%

Retail sales in the euro zone rose by 2.4% in January which represented the fourth increase in a row, according to figures from the EU's statistics office Eurostat.

In the EU as a whole, retail sales were up 1.4% from December and up 2.2% from a year earlier. The rise was driven by a 2.1% increase in sales of food, drink and tobacco, the statistics agency said.