UK retail sales fall unexpectedly in May

LONDON - British retail sales fell unexpectedly last month as a lifting of lockdown restrictions encouraged spending in restaurants rather than shops, according to official data.

Retail sales fell 1.4% between April and May, the Office for National Statistics said.

A poll of economists had pointed to an 1.6% month-on-month increase in retail sales volumes for May.

 

(Reporting by Andy Bruce and William Schomberg; editing by Sarah Young)