UK retail sales surged last month at their fastest pace in a year and a half, as the hottest June since 1976 boosted purchases of barbecues, food, drink and clothing. During June, the seasonally adjusted estimate of retail sales volumes was up 1.9pc from May and 6pc higher than it was in June of last year, according to a report from National Statistics. The rise is much bigger than the expected 0.3pc for June. June's gain in sales was influenced by the sunny weather.
Final figures for May show that retail sales fell a revised 0.2pc, down from the previous estimate of a 0.1pc drop. April sales were also revised, to show a 0.6pc gain, against a 0.4pc rise previously. In the three months to June, sales rose 1.6pc on the previous three months and were also up 1.6pc from a year ago. //www.fxcentre.co