The British retail sector reported slightly lower sales in February than in the previous month. Revenues fell by 0.3 percent compared to January, the ONS statistics office said on Friday in London. Analysts had expected an average increase of 0.7 percent. However, the current decline follows a sharp 1.9 percent increase in January.
Sales in non-stationary retail, which includes online mail order, fell particularly sharply. The decline is likely to be a result of extensive relaxation of the corona virus. Online trade benefited greatly from the pandemic. However, its share of total sales has been falling for some time, although it is still well above the pre-crisis level.
Grocery sales declined slightly while non-grocery sales increased. The revenue from petrol stations with fuel increased significantly as a result of the relaxation of the corona virus. (dpa)