Turnover in Germany's retail trade in January fell 3.9 percent month-on-month, according to provisional data published by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday.
In comparison to January 2020 -- two months before the outbreak of COVID-19 in Germany -- retail turnover was 7.4 percent lower in January 2021, according to Destatis.
Sales of textiles, clothing, footwear and leather goods plummeted 76.3 percent year-on-year. Online retail, on the other hand, registered an unusually high growth rate of more than 30 percent.
"Never before have there been such divergent developments in the retail sector," commented Stefan Genth, chief executive officer (CEO) of the German Retail Federation (HDE). "The lockdown is driving up sales in online retail and plunging stationary fashion retailers in particular into a deep valley of tears."
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country's federal states will decide whether the COVID-19 lockdown, currently in force until March 7, should be extended. German retailers have been repeatedly calling for stores to be allowed to open, highlighting the observance of hygiene rules.
