Hint of summer sun brings healthy boost for UK’s retail sales figures

Sunnier weather towards the end of last month and a pre- jubilee spending splurge provided some respite for Britain’s hard-pressed retailers, industry figures today reveal.

A blast of summer sun across much of the UK in the closing days of May helped trigger a surge in food and clothing sales after weeks of heavy rainfall.

That left retail sales by value 1.3 per cent higher on a like-for-like basis in May, following a sharp 3.3 per cent decline the previous month, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The body, which represents four-in-ten UK retailers, said miserable weather at the start of May led to pent-up demand and then as the weather improved shoppers hit the high streets.

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Despite the apparent arrival of summer lifting shoppers’ spirits, the underlying trend of customers searching for value and special offers continued, the BRC added. Online and mail-order sales of non-food items showed strong growth.

Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight, said: “The recent sharp drop in oil prices boost hopes that inflation will fall back appreciably over the coming months and ease the squeeze on consumers.”