Retail Sales Growth Gives Boost For Economy

Shoppers delivered a much-needed boost to the economy last month as retail sales grew by a better-than-expected 1.3%, according to official figures. The month-on-month improvement was well above the 0.5% figure pencilled in by analysts and comes amid gloom in other sectors such as industrial production and construction and after a first quarter slowdown in overall gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also revised the retail sector's performan