German retail sales were down 2.8 percent on the year in November and likely declined about 2 percent overall in 2009 as Europe"s biggest economy shrank, AP quoted official data as showing Thursday. The Federal Statistical Office said that sales were down 1.8 percent on the year in last year"s first 11 months. Based on that, it estimated that the decline for the full year would come in between 1.9 and 2.1 percent. The preliminary report for November _ based on data from seven of Germany"s 16 states _ showed declines in sales of products such as clothing, which were down 3.5 percent on the year. There was, however, a 3 percent increase in sales of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products; and a 1.3 percent rise in sales of household appliances and home furnishings. Overall retail sales in November were down 1.1 percent compared with the previous month in seasonally adjusted terms. The retail data excludes car sales.
