This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27154957
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| UK retail sales edged up in March, says ONS | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Retail sales edged up in March compared with the previous month, official figures show, surprising some analysts. | Retail sales edged up in March compared with the previous month, official figures show, surprising some analysts. |
| Sales volumes were 0.1% higher in March than in February, but there was a more significant rise compared with a year ago. | Sales volumes were 0.1% higher in March than in February, but there was a more significant rise compared with a year ago. |
| Volumes rose by 4.2% compared with March 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. | Volumes rose by 4.2% compared with March 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. |
| The cold weather a year ago was a key factor in the year-on-year rise, the ONS said. | The cold weather a year ago was a key factor in the year-on-year rise, the ONS said. |
| Non-food stores showed the biggest year-on-year rise in sales since April 2002, up 9.6%. | Non-food stores showed the biggest year-on-year rise in sales since April 2002, up 9.6%. |
| The ONS said this was helped considerably by the comparison with March 2013 which was the second coldest March on record. This year the weather was much warmer, leading to more people heading out to the shops. | |
| The ONS also produced retail sales figures for the first quarter of the year. Sales volumes were up 3.8% in the first three months of the year compared with the first quarter of 2013. |