Growth in retail sales volumes picked up strongly in the year to May and expectations for next month are at their highest for 27 years, according to the CBI’s latest quarterly Distributive Trades Survey .Orders placed upon suppliers also rose more quickly than anticipated – at the fastest pace since December 2010 – while sales were well above average for the time of year – to the greatest extent since April 2007. The survey of 134 firms including 63 retailers showed that growth in both the volume of retail sales and orders exceeded expectations in May. Firms remain optimistic that both sales and orders are set to ... (full story)