Retailing (west):
Declining pessimism

The worsening of the business conditions in western German retailing results from increased dissatisfaction in the non-food area, whereas in the food and beverage sector the favourable judgements again held the balance slightly. With weaker demand, inventory pressure eased only a little. In the business expectations, pessimism faded away almost completely; order plans however continue to point downward, though not as strongly.