Economics

U.K. Retail Sales Post Partial Rebound After Lockdown Plunge

  • Households preparing for end of restrictions drive sales
  • Retail sector still facing sharp downturn in first quarter
Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg
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U.K. retail sales posted a modest rebound in February after a brutal start to the year, when a lockdown to contain the coronavirus forced non-essential stores to close.

The volume of goods sold in shops and online rose 2.1% from January, the Office for National Statistics said Friday, in line with economists’ expectations. Sales excluding auto fuel climbed 2.4%.