UK Retail Sales Growth Picks up Unexpectedly in January – BRC

British retail spending growth hit a four-month high in January, as consumers splashed out on big-ticket items like furniture, an industry body said on Tuesday.

The British Retail Consortium said retail spending increased 3.3 percent in January compared with a year ago, up from a 1.0 percent rise in December which the BRC had described as disappointing.

Furniture and home appliances sold well, while discounts in the New Year sales encouraged clothing and footwear sales.

Overall the survey added to signs that Britons are still spending freely, despite a darker global economic outlook.

“Following on from a somewhat disappointing Christmas period for retailers, the new year kicked off to a strong start,” Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said.

Reuters

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Craig Erlam

Craig Erlam

Former Senior Market Analyst, UK & EMEA at OANDA
Based in London, Craig Erlam joined OANDA in 2015 as a market analyst. With many years of experience as a financial market analyst and trader, he focuses on both fundamental and technical analysis while producing macroeconomic commentary.

His views have been published in the Financial Times, Reuters, The Telegraph and the International Business Times, and he also appears as a regular guest commentator on the BBC, Bloomberg TV, FOX Business and SKY News.

Craig holds a full membership to the Society of Technical Analysts and is recognised as a Certified Financial Technician by the International Federation of Technical Analysts.