UK Retail Sales Bounce Back In April

The UK's retail sales volumes rebounded with a monthly rise in April, the Office of National Statistics reported on Friday.

Beating market estimates of a slight contraction, retail sales rose by 1.4% last month, following a 1.2% slump in March.

The figure was 4.1% above the pre-pandemic levels in February 2020.

Food store sales were up by 2.8% for the largest contribution to the main reading, largely due to increased spending on alcohol and tobacco.

On an annual basis, retail sales decreased 4.9% this April, with the market forecast being minus 7.2%.​​​​​​​ -