UK retail sales suffer slow growth rate due to cold weather

// ONS reports in the 3 months to May, UK retail sales had a slow growth rate of 1.6%

// Sales affected by the UK’s cold weather

// The amount of goods that were purchased over the last month dropped to 0.5%

Retail sales in the UK have been affected by the unseasonably cold weather.

The amount of goods that were purchased over the last month dropped to 0.5 per cent, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In the three months to May, retail sales climbed 1.6 per cent, a slower growth rate compared to the 1.7 per cent rise in the three months to April.

“Retail sales continued to grow in the latest three months despite two consecutive monthly falls, with clothing sales declining considerably in May, due to unseasonably cold weather,” ONS head of retail sales Rhian Murphy said.

In the three months to April, the UK unemployment rate was at its lowest since 1974.

However, department stores and household goods shop sales have expanded along with digital sales in the period.

“We see quite a mixed picture across the rest of the sector as the decline in department store sales continued, with no growth since September of last year,” Murphy said.

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