Reuters :
Pricing signs hang on clothing outside a shop in London on Jun 3, 2015. Photo: Reuters
Pricing signs hang on clothing outside a shop in London on Jun 3, 2015. Photo: Reuters
British retail sales growth slowed sharply last month after strong growth in April, as shoppers bought fewer clothes, official data showed on Thursday.
Retail sales volumes rose 0.2 percent in May-broadly in line with economists’ expectations-to show 4.6 percent growth on the year, the Office for National Statistics said.
Economists had expected retail sales to be flat in May after rising a downwardly revised 0.9 percent in April, when clothing sales were boosted by unusually warm weather. By contrast, May was cooler than normal.
The ONS said clothing sales were 1.6 percent down on April’s level, the biggest fall since September 2014. Food stores had a rare good month, with volumes up 0.6 percent, the biggest increase since December.
Private-sector surveys had given contrasting pictures of the sector in May. The Confederation of British Industry reported the fastest retail sales growth since December, while the British Retail Consortium said sales growth was more modest.
Sales in the three months to May were up 4.5 percent compared with a year earlier, the slowest year-on-year growth in six months.
Pricing signs hang on clothing outside a shop in London on Jun 3, 2015. Photo: Reuters
Pricing signs hang on clothing outside a shop in London on Jun 3, 2015. Photo: Reuters
British retail sales growth slowed sharply last month after strong growth in April, as shoppers bought fewer clothes, official data showed on Thursday.
Retail sales volumes rose 0.2 percent in May-broadly in line with economists’ expectations-to show 4.6 percent growth on the year, the Office for National Statistics said.
Economists had expected retail sales to be flat in May after rising a downwardly revised 0.9 percent in April, when clothing sales were boosted by unusually warm weather. By contrast, May was cooler than normal.
The ONS said clothing sales were 1.6 percent down on April’s level, the biggest fall since September 2014. Food stores had a rare good month, with volumes up 0.6 percent, the biggest increase since December.
Private-sector surveys had given contrasting pictures of the sector in May. The Confederation of British Industry reported the fastest retail sales growth since December, while the British Retail Consortium said sales growth was more modest.
Sales in the three months to May were up 4.5 percent compared with a year earlier, the slowest year-on-year growth in six months.
