Retail & ConsumerUK retail sales surge before lockdown easing, borrowing leaps, too
ReutersWilliam SchombergAndy Bruce
4 minutes read
A woman shops in the Selfridges department store on Oxford street, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions ease, in London, Britain April 12, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
British retail sales jumped last month before a partial lifting of coronavirus restrictions, suggesting an economic rebound is under way, but official data also showed record peacetime government borrowing.
Sales volumes leapt by 5.4% in March from February with clothing retailers able to sell online benefiting especially as consumers got ready to venture out after being locked down for much of the past year.