German retail sales up in June thanks to World Cup effect (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Retail sales in Germany rose in June, largely as a result of the positive effects on consumer spending of the World Cup soccer championships, data showed.

German Retail Sales Rise on World Cup Spending (Update2) (Bloomberg.com)
July 31 (Bloomberg) — German retail sales rose more than expected in June as World Cup fever gripped the nation and households brought forward spending to avoid a tax increase next year.