German retail sales unexpectedly fall

It was surprising news to most German economic observers to find that German retail sales for the month of September had fallen, despite a growing economy and decreasing unemployment. However, some have warned observers not to over-react, as German retail sales are often revised later. What is interesting to me is the implication that this has for German's exports. Germany always operates at high budget surpluses; do retail sales configure into this? Also, if German unemployment is still very low, then does this have implications for the overall productivity of the German economy?