Hungary’s retail sales growth accelerated at a slower-than-expected pace in December, preliminary figures from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office showed Wednesday.

Retail sales rose a calendar-adjusted 4.5 percent year-over-year in December, faster than the 4.3 percent climb in the previous month. Economists had expected the growth to improve to 4.8 percent.

On an unadjusted basis, retail sales advanced 5.0 percent in December from a year ago.

Sales of food, drinks and tobacco grew 3.4 percent and that for non-food products surged by 6.4 percent. Retail sales of automotive fuel alone increased by 3.7 percent.

In the whole year 2015, total retail sales expanded 5.6 percent compared with the preceding year.

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