Euro zone June retail sales below expectations

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Retail sales in the 19 countries sharing the euro currency rose by less than expected, data from the European statistics office Eurostat showed on Friday.

The volatile and often revised indicator rose 0.3 percent in June compared to May, for a 1.2 percent annual increase, below the 0.4 and 1.4 percent expected in a Reuters poll of 20 economists.

The June figures were boosted by monthly increases of food, drinks and tobacco sales as well as online shopping, while consumers bought fewer items of clothing and footwear.

On a country-by-country basis, retail sales rose most in Germany and Spain, while Finland, Estonia and Portugal saw the sharpest decrease.

(Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; editing by Foo Yun Chee)