Malta registered the largest fall in retail trade among EU member states in October compared to a year earlier.
According to data published by Eurostat, the volume was down 3.7 per cent.
The only other member state, which suffered a drop was Slovenia with 0.1 per cent.
Retail trade was up in all other member states, mostly Luxembourg (12.5 per cent) and Estonia (6.9 per cent).
The Nationalist Party said Malta was once again ranked “the worst in Europe” when it came to retail trade.
Contrary to the impression given by the Prime Minister that the economy was booming, the latest data showed not all sectors were performing well, it said.
The PN called on the government to take the necessary measures to protect the interests of retail traders.