German retail sales unexpectedly fell in August, as persistently high inflation took its toll on consumption in the euro zone’s largest economy.

German retail sales fell by 1.2 per cent in August compared with the previous month, data showed on Friday. Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted a 0.5 per cent increase.

Year-on-year, retail sales fell by 2.3 per cent, the data showed.

The federal statistics office publishes more details on its website.