Retail sales bounce back with 1.7% growth in January

Retail sales across the UK saw a stronger-than-expected increase of 1.7% in January, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today. This marks a recovery following a 0.6% decline in December.
Economists had predicted a more modest monthly rise of 0.3% in sales volumes, making the actual growth significantly higher than anticipated.
The January boost was largely driven by food sales, which experienced a notable 5.6% rise in sales volumes. This marked the largest