Retail gross sales volumes beat expectations to rise by their largest margin in months to return to pre-pandemic ranges in February.

Gross sales rose by 1.2 per cent in February, the most important month-to-month progress since October, after a revised 0.9 per cent rise in January, in response to new figures printed by the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics.

Sturdy gross sales in low cost department shops pushed up non-food gross sales by 2.4 per cent and meals gross sales rose 0.9 per cent as price of residing pressures prompted consumers to chop down on consuming at eating places and as a substitute purchase extra meals to eat at residence.

Gross sales volumes, nonetheless, fell within the three months to February in contrast with the earlier three-month interval and stay 3.5 per cent decrease than in February final yr.

Metropolis economists had predicted a 0.2 per cent rise in gross sales in February, which might have represented a decline of 4.7 per cent in contrast with the identical interval in 2022.

The amount of gross sales has adopted a basic development of decline since summer time 2021 however the worth of gross sales has risen as inflation stays near its highest degree in many years.

Inflation is assumed to have peaked at 11.1 per cent final October,its highest degree in 41 years. The headline fee fell for 3 consecutive months to succeed in 10.1 per cent initially of the yr earlier than a shock enhance to 10.4 per cent in February. It’s anticipated to have greater than halved by the top of the yr.

Retail gross sales are seen as an early indicator of financial exercise earlier than gross home product (GDP) figures for January, which can be printed subsequent month.

Sturdy progress initially of the yr has reversed the 1.3 per cent month-to-month decline in retail gross sales recorded in December

Gas gross sales fell by 1.1 per cent after a 1.1 per cent rise in January, when practice strikes boosted automobile journey.

Gabriella Dickens, senior UK economist on the Pantheon Macroeconomics consultancy, mentioned: “The outlook for retail gross sales has improved because the finances, when the federal government scrapped deliberate will increase in each the vitality value assure and gasoline responsibility. These U-turns have averted a 1 per cent hit to households’ disposable incomes in [the second quarter]. Many households additionally will see some reduction in April when advantages, together with the state pension, rise by 10.1 per cent and the Nationwide Residing Wage will increase by 9.7 per cent.

“Different fiscal actions in April, nonetheless, will impede progress in disposable incomes; the fundamental and better fee thresholds for earnings tax can be frozen; the brink for the extra fee of earnings tax can be diminished to £125,000, from £150,000, and the £67-a-month vitality invoice assist scheme grant can be withdrawn.”

Ashley Webb, UK economist at Capital Economics, mentioned that any rise in retail spending could possibly be compensated by a fall in non-retail spending. “At face worth, these knowledge additional add to the view that the latest resilience in exercise remains to be holding up, however when households’ funds are underneath stress it’s attainable that any enchancment in retail gross sales will simply be met by a softening in non-retail spending (akin to eating places),” she mentioned. “And though the worst of the falls in actual family incomes are prior to now, the total drag on exercise from increased rates of interest has but to be felt.”