Euro zone sales fall in July as consumers struggle

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Retail sales in the euro zone ended a two-month run of gains in July as volumes fell, highlighting consumers' battle with rising joblessness, wage cuts and restricted bank credit during a debt crisis that is eroding disposable incomes.

Shoppers in the 17-nation currency area held back spending on food, drink and increasingly pricey fuel, to drag the volume of retail trade down 0.2 percent in July from June, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said on Wednesday.