​MNI DATA BRIEF: UK Retail Sales Surge As Lockdown Eases

UK retail sales surged by 9.2% between March and April, lifted by a 69.4% jump in clothing and footwear, the category most affected by the pandemic, the Office for National Statistics said Thursday. The level of sales outpaced expectations of City analysts, but were in line with the thoughts of leading industry figures captured in MNI's latest Reality Check.

Total non-food sales rose by 25.4%, as non-essential shops in England and Wales reopened on 12 April, while supermarket transactions fell by 0.9% Sales are now "10% above pre-pandemic levels," Deputy National Statistician Jonathan Athow said.

Total sales surged by 42.4% over the same period of 2020, the first month of a national economic lockdown. Most retailing categories have exceeded levels of February 2020, with the exception of clothing (-0.3%) and petrol (-9.9% from pre-pandemic levels, despite a 10.6% jump in April). Internet sales declined by 5.6% last month, despite rising by 31.9% over April of 2020, pushing on-line sales to 30.0% of the total from 34.7% in March.