Royal Wedding and Sunshine Give U.K. Retailers a Boost in May
- Retail sales rose 1.3% from April, beating economist forecasts
- Pound jumps as data add weight to BOE’s second-quarter outlook
Attendees wearing paper face masks in the likeness of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, right, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, wave flags as they watch an outdoor television screen showing the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, during a royal wedding viewing party in Brighton. on Saturday, May 19.
Photographer: Luke MacGregor/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
U.K. retail sales jumped more than economists forecast in May as warm weather and the Royal Wedding gave stores a much needed boost.
Sales climbed 1.3 percent from April, compared with a median estimate of a 0.5 percent gain in a Bloomberg survey. The increase was led by food and clothing, according to data from the Office for National Statistics in London. Excluding auto fuel, sales rose 1.3 percent.