British retail sales outstrip forecasts to rise 0.4% in March

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British retail sales rose 0.4 per cent in March, beating analysts’ expectations of a contraction, helped by increasing sales in clothing and outdoor shops and helping a strong quarter for shops.

Friday’s monthly data from the Office for National Statistics showed that the volume of goods bought exceeded expectations of economists polled by Reuters, who had predicted a 0.4 per cent contraction.

The figure followed a 0.7 per cent increase in February and a strong rise in January.

In the three months to March, a less volatile measure of spending, sales were up 1.6 per cent compared with the previous three months.

Clothing and outdoor retailers reported that good weather boosted sales. These increases were partly offset by falls in supermarket sales.

Separate data published on Friday by the research company GfK showed that consumer confidence fell four points to minus 23 in April, the lowest level for well over one year.

This is a developing story