London:British retail sales jumped far more than expected in April, rebounding from a slump the previous month caused by “Beast from the East” freezing weather.
“The quantity bought in April increased by 1.6 percent as all sectors, excluding department stores, recovered from the declines seen in March” when sales slumped 1.1 percent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
Analysts’ consensus forecast had been for a rebound of 0.7 percent in April. Online sales meanwhile surged 17.3 percent in April from a year earlier, led by purchases of food and clothing, the ONS added.
Major British retailers are cutting store numbers as consumers increasingly move to online shopping. Food-to-clothing retailer Marks and Spencer on Tuesday said it plans to expand a store-closure programme to more than one hundred.
