Istat said Thursday that Italian retail sales were up in April both with respect to March and in year-on-year terms.

The national statistics agency said sales were up 0.7% in value and 0.5% in volume compared to March.

It said retail sales rose by 3.7% in value terms and 1.9% in volume with respect to April 2024.

It said that value increase was the highest since June 2023.

The agency said the rise was driven by Easter-linked food purchases.