Retail figures fall in Spain for first time in three years following Catalunya crisis

SPANISH retail sales fell for the first time in over three years in October, with sales in Catalonia dropping sharply after its independence referendum.

The vote prompted a standoff with the central government, which then took control of the region.

The crisis hurt many of Catalonia’s economic sectors in October, with car sales, job creation and hotel-stays all underperforming the rest of the country.

Almost 3,000 companies have moved their legal headquarters from the region since the vote.

Spanish retail sales fell 0.1% in October from a year earlier, after increasing by a revised 1.6% in September, the National Statistics Institute said.