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British retail sales increases 1.2 pct in April

Xinhua, May 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Britain's retail sales volume increased by 1.2 percent in April 2015 compared with that of the previous month, with all store types, predominantly food stores, showing growth, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

Data showed that British retail sales increased by 4.7 percent in April 2015 compared with that of a year earlier, marking a consecutive 25 years of year-on-year growth.

In April, the amount spent in the retail industry increased by 1.8 percent compared with April 2014 and by 1.1 percent compared with March 2015, figures showed.

Average store prices fell by 3.2 percent year-on-year in April 2015, dragged down by the 11.5 percent decrease experienced by petrol stations, recording the 10th consecutive month of price drop, said the government's statistics arm.

The value of internet sales increased by 3.7 percent compared with March 2015, and by 13.1 percent compared with April 2014, data also showed.

The value of sales made online accounted for 12.2 percent of all retail sales.

Martin Beck, senior economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club, commented in a note: "Retail sales saw the fastest growth in five months. The strong April number is no flash in the pan, with retail sales growth continuing to run at an annual pace of just under five percent."

The London-based economic forecaster said it expected strong gross domestic product figures for the second quarter of 2015. Endit