Retail sales tumbled at a double-digit pace for a second consecutive month in May as the coronavirus pandemic and emergency stay-at-home measures delivered a heavy blow to consumer confidence.
The sustained downturn in demand raises risks that the world's third-largest economy could remain mired in recession longer than expected and that a recovery may be more sluggish.
Retail sales fell 12.3 percent in May from a year earlier, pulled down by a slump in spending on big ticket items such as cars as well as clothing and general merchandise, trade ministry data showed on Monday.