UK retail sales bounce back in January

LONDON, Feb 17 (BBC): Retail sales bounced back sharply in January, rising by 1.0 per cent on the previous month, official figures showed.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the amount of goods sold rose by 1.0 per cent, after falling by 0.7 per cent in December, with discounts in clothing helping to boost sales.

Compared with a year ago, retail sales were 4.2 per cent higher in January.

That was the biggest annual rise since December 2016. The figures beat most economists' expectations.

"Clothing stores saw strong sales, luring consumers with price reductions, with food sales also growing after a slight dip after Christmas," said ONS statistician Rhian Murphy.

The ONS said clothing prices fell by the most since August 2016.

The figures suggest that consumer spending may have picked up again after a lull following the summer's World Cup.

The findings also echo those from the British Retail Consortium, which indicated that shops saw their fastest sales growth for seven months in January.