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Surprise rise in retail sales as shoppers buoyed by the sun

The Guardian

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April 26, 2025

Sunny weather fuelled an unexpected increase in retail sales in Britain last month as shoppers flocked to clothing, outdoor and DIY stores.

- Mark Sweney

Surprise rise in retail sales as shoppers buoyed by the sun

Retail sales volumes rose by 0.4%, according to the Office for National Statistics, defying a forecast of a 0.4% fall by City economists and marking the third straight month of growth.

The overall 1.6% rise across the first quarter of the year, compared with the last quarter of 2024, is the best return since July 2021.

But the figures came before Donald Trump's "liberation day" global tariff announcements at the start of this month, which took consumer confidence to the lowest level since 2023.

Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, said on Thursday that the economy faced a "growth shock" from the US president's trade policies.

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