FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- German manufacturing sales fell in July, led by a drop in auto sales, the Federal Statistical Office said Monday.
The Wiesbaden-based agency said sales in manufacturing decreased by 2.1 percent compared with July 2007, when adjusting figures for seasonal fluctuations and number of working days.
Domestic sales fell by 2.3 percent, while overall international revenue fell 1.8 percent, the office said. Sales to euro-area countries, however, increased by 0.5 percent from last year.
The biggest decline came in the automobile and automobile parts industry, which saw a drop of 6.8 percent in sales, the office said.
The best sales came in broadcast and telecommunication engineering, which were up 4.9 percent.
Overall results from January through July 2008 showed increased sales in the manufacturing sector of 3.1 percent.
Domestic sales in that period rose by 2.7 percent and foreign turnover by 3.6 percent.