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UK retail sales boosted by mild weather in March
Retail sales unexpectedly jumped in March as mild weather enticed shoppers to UK stores. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the year-on-year growth in March was 6.7% - the highest since October 2016. The ONS said milder weather had helped to boost sales in comparison with the "Beast from the East" last year. Monthly sales rose 1.1% - economists had been expecting a fall - with the warm weather boosting clothing sales. Department stores were the only type of stores to report a fall in sales compared with the previous year, seeing a 0.3% decline in March. The problems facing department stores was ... (full story)