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Retail sales surprise analysts with jump
RETAIL sales did surprisingly well in July, despite no discernible impact from the Olympics or the final arrival of summer weather, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said yesterday.
Retail sales saw a 2.8 per cent increase in volumes in the year to July. Values grew yet faster, climbing 3.1 per cent over the year, the ONS data showed.
Non-food stores were the main beneficiaries, seeing four per cent yearly growth in their volume of sales, with department stores doing particularly well.