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Retail sales have rebounded as shoppers returned to high streets after the Omicron variant wave in the UK economy.
Source: Office for National Statistics
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Retail sales volumes across the UK rose by 1.9% in January, faster than expected, and the biggest monthly increase since the pandemic restrictions were lifted last spring.
That bounce-back covered almost half of the 4.0% fall in December when the increase in Covid-19 cases and pandemic restrictions slowed down spending and increased retail spending to 3.6% above its pre-pandemic levels.
The recovery was attributable to an increase in spending at non-food stores such as household goods and garden centers. Household stores sales volume increased by 7.5% in January due to solid growth in furniture and lighting stores by 16.6% and electrical goods stores by 16.0%.
Meanwhile, clothing stores posted a 5.0% fall over the month due to January sales being less generous.
On a yearly basis, people purchased 9.1% more products than a year earlier, when non-essential shops were closed in the pandemic-related lockdown.
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