U.K. retail sales recovered at a faster than expected pace in May after easing in April, the Office for National Statistics said Thursday.
Retail sales volume, including automotive fuel, rose 1.4 percent from the prior month, when it was down 2.4 percent. The increase was bigger than the expected growth of 1.2 percent.
Likewise, retail sales volume logged an annual growth of 2.4 percent, offsetting April's 1.1 percent drop. The increase exceeded the consensus forecast of 2.1 percent.
Excluding fuel, retail sales volume rose 0.9 percent month-on-month, after declining 1.1 percent in the previous month. Economists had expected only 0.7 percent increase.
Sales expanded 3 percent annually, erasing a 0.3 percent percent fall seen in April and better than the 2.7 percent increase forecast by economists.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.