Italy's retail sales decreased for the fourth consecutive month in March and at a faster-than-expected pace, a report from the statistical office ISTAT showed Friday.

Retail sales decreased an unadjusted 3.5 percent year-on-year, after a 1 percent fall in February. Economists had forecast a 1 percent drop for March.

Food store sales dropped 6.8 percent, while non-food sales decreased 1.5 percent.

Sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent month-over-month in March, after remaining unchanged in February, which was revised from a 0.2 percent decline.

In the first three months of 2014, retail sales dipped 1.8 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. In the fourth quarter of last year, sales fell 1.5 percent.

RTTNews