Germany's retail sales dropped 1.2% from a month ago in April, more than market expectations, according to data released on Friday.
The figure swung from an upwardly revised 2.6% increase in March, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said.
The market expected the real (price-adjusted) turnover of retail enterprises to fall 0.2%.
Food sales plunged 3.7% in the same period, while non-food retail sales rose slightly by 0.2%.
On a yearly basis, retail sales fell 0.6% in April, following a 1.9% downwardly revised decrease in the prior month, Destatis data showed.
