UK retail sales dip in April amid early Easter and 'dismal weather'

From 5.1% growth in April 2023

UK total retail sales fell by 4% in April, a significant shift from the 5.1% growth recorded a year earlier.

The 4% drop in sales falls short of the three-month average growth of 0.5% and the 12-month average growth of 2.2%, according to a survey by the British Retail Consortium. The distortion comes amid a change in Easter dates, as this year's run-up to Easter was in March, while last year's was in April. Following the distortion correction, the combined average growth for March and April rose by 0.2%, which was still below the three-month average growth of 0.5%.  The biggest increase in the three months to April was registered for food sales, which grew by 4.4% year-on-year. But April's f...