Investors remain cautious as retail sales jump 9.2%

Impact of lockdown easing measured

Kathleen Gallagher
clock • 1 min read

Retail sales jumped 9.2% in April 2021 as all non-essential retail shops opened after months of having their doors closed due to Covid restrictions, according to official figures released on Friday (21 May).

The Office for National Statistics said clothing store sales did particularly well, soaring 69.4% as people rejoiced the return to the physical store. Automotive fuel retailers also reported strong growth of 10.6% as people were able to travel more. Food stores were the only sector to report a monthly decline of 0.9%. However, while the numbers are impressive, experts warn they should be taken with a pinch of salt. "It's important to remember most shops were closed in the comparative numbers," explained Jon Hudson, fund manager of Premier Miton UK Growth fund. Powering past pand...

To continue reading this article...

Join Investment Week for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, analysis and opinion from the investment industry, including the Sustainable Hub covering fund news from the ESG space
  • Get ahead of regulatory and technological changes affecting fund management
  • Important and breaking news stories selected by the editors delivered straight to your inbox each day
  • Weekly members-only newsletter with exclusive opinion pieces from leading industry experts
  • Be the first to hear about our extensive events schedule and awards programmes

Join now

 

Already an Investment Week
member?

Login

More on Markets

T. Rowe Price's Ritu Vohora: Global recalibration amid a shifting landscape

T. Rowe Price's Ritu Vohora: Global recalibration amid a shifting landscape

Investors at a 'pivotal moment'

Ritu Vohora
clock 13 March 2025 • 4 min read
US equities tentatively recover as EU and Canada threaten to hit back at Trump's tariffs

US equities tentatively recover as EU and Canada threaten to hit back at Trump's tariffs

Tariffs 'not in our mutual interest'

Sorin Dojan
clock 13 March 2025 • 2 min read
TP ICAP and Verisure mull overseas listings in further blow to London's capital markets

TP ICAP and Verisure mull overseas listings in further blow to London's capital markets

New York and Amsterdam

Linus Uhlig
clock 11 March 2025 • 2 min read
Trustpilot