ONS Retail Sales Up18 Sep 2020 10:51
The Office for National Statistics showed retail sales grew for the fourth month in a row in August as the post-lockdown recovery continues.
Sales rose 0.8% on the month, coming in ahead of expectations for a 0.7% increase. On the year, retail sales were 2.8% higher, versus expectations of 3% growth.
Retail sales are currently 4% higher than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic in February.
The figures showed that spending on home improvements continued to rise in August, with sales at household goods stores up 9.9% compared with February. Online retail sales fell 2.5% in August when from July, but the strong growth seen over the pandemic means sales were still 46.8% higher than pre-crisis levels.
Deputy national statistician for Economic Statistics Jonathan Athow said: "Retail sales continued to grow, further surpassing their pre-pandemic level.