Swiss retail sales growth eased sharply in January, the latest figures published by the Federal Statistical Office revealed Monday.

Retail sales increased 1.9 percent year-on-year in real terms in January, much slower than a 4.7 percent gain in December. Excluding fuel, sales were up 1.9 percent.

Retail sales of food, drinks and tobacco registered an increase in real turnover of 1.4 percent while the non-food sector registered a growth of 1.7 percent.

In January, seasonally adjusted turnover in the retail sector fell 0.5 percent compared with the previous month. Excluding fuel, the retail sector showed a month-on-month decline of 0.1 percent in sales.