Lithuania: Retail Sales Growth Rises in September.

Retail sales in Lithuania rose by 5.6% year-on-year in September, following a revised 3.5% increase in the previous month. Growth accelerated in retail trade, excluding automotive fuel (7.7% vs. 5.5% in August), non-food items (11.9% vs. 8.8%), textiles and clothing (21.2% vs. 9.8%), audio, video, hardware, furniture and lighting (17.1% vs. 13.9%), and pharmaceutical, medical and cosmetic products (11.6% vs. 9.3%). Sales also increased for food, beverages and tobacco (1.4% vs. 0.8%), information and communication technology equipment, cultural and recreational goods, watches, jewelry and other new goods (2.5% vs. 1.8%), and mail-order and online sales (6.2% vs. 3.6%). Meanwhile, automotive fuel sales declined at a slower pace (-1.7% vs. -3.3%). On a monthly basis, retail sales edged up 0.5% in September, rebounding from a revised 0.1% decline in August.