WASHINGTON — U.S. retail and food services sales for February 2020 were $528.1 billion, a decrease of 0.5% from the previous month, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

That is the biggest monthly sales drop in more than a year. Sales were up 0.6% in January.

The February sales falloff was the largest since a 2% decline in December 2018. Auto sales fell 0.9% in February, and gasoline sales dropped 2.8%, in part because of lower prices. When auto and gasoline sales are excluded, sales in February were down 0.4% versus the previous month.