Italian retail sales rose 0.2% in May from the month before, data showed on Friday, following a flat reading in April.

Sales rose 2.2% in unadjusted year-on-year terms in May, ISTAT said.

The data are expressed in value terms and are not adjusted for consumer prices, which increased 3.2% in May from the year earlier, based on Italy's EU-harmonised index (HICP).

ISTAT gave the following data:

May

April

March

Mth/Mth change*

+0.2

0.0

+0.8

Yr/yr change**

+2.2

+1.7r

+3.8

Food sales (m/m)

+0.2

+0.1r

+0.9

Non-food sales (m/m)

+0.2

0.0r

+0.7

*seasonally adjusted

**unadjusted

r=revised