Unexpectedly strong retail sales in February boost hopes that Britain is out of recession

Unexpectedly strong retail sales in February have revived hopes that Britain is out of recession.

Shoppers bought the same number of products last month as in January, official figures showed, defying pessimistic forecasts of a 0.4 percent drop.

At the same time, the already strong January turnover increased from 3.4 percent to 3.6 percent. This is the highest figure since reopening after confinement in April 2021.

Statistics indicate that better days lie ahead for the economy as the weather warms.

Shoppers rebounded for clothing, with fashion sales jumping 1.7 percent, the biggest increase since December 2022.