The biggest increase in retail sales since April 2021 occurred in January as consumers increased their purchases in every industry except apparel.
The retail sales gain of 3.4%, which is more than double the 1.5% increase analysts had predicted, indicates that the economy is starting to revive.
There hasn’t been an increase as significant as the December to January recovery since April 2021.
After two straight three-month contractions, the UK officially entered a recession on Thursday; in part, this was due to subpar retail performance.
The Office for National Statistics revised the December retail sales figure downward on Friday, which resulted in a 3.3% decline. However, this was more than offset by a 3.3% increase in January retail sales.
The ONS said that January sales contributed to “robust” trading for department stores, sports stores, and home goods retailers.
