The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported a stronger-than-expected 1.7% increase in retail sales across the UK in January.
The increase follows a decline of 0.6% in December and is higher than the expected 0.3% monthly rise.
January’s increase was driven mainly by food sales, while non-food sectors showed a decrease of 1.3% during the month. Despite this, overall retail performance is seen as a positive sign for retail, with online sales also seeing a 2.4% increase month-on-month.
Hannah Finselback, senior statistician at ONS commented: “Retail sales rebounded strongly in January following four months of consecutive falls. However, clothing shops and household goods stores had less of a successful month with retailers reporting lacklustre sales due to weak consumer confidence.
“Looking at the broader picture, retail sales have decreased across the three-month period and are below pre-pandemic levels.”
