French Consumer Spending Rises Less Than Expected in April

The Les Halles shopping mall in Paris.Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg

French consumer spending rose less than expected in April in a tepid pick-up after weak household demand weighed on economic growth at the start of the year.

Outlays increased 0.3% from March, the first rise so far this year, according to data Wednesday from statistics agency Insee. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had predicted a 0.8% gain.