Retail enjoys swift revival in sales after shops reopen

Sales assistants at Hamleys yesterday on the day it became law to wear masks inside shops
Sales assistants at Hamleys yesterday on the day it became law to wear masks inside shops
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE

A V-shaped recovery in retailing has lifted overall sales close to pre-pandemic levels.

More widely, businesses have rebounded from the lockdown with strong activity this month and have reported their fastest upturn in five years. However, analysts cautioned that continued economic improvement was dependent on consumer confidence and people’s willingness to go out.

Retail sales volumes rose by 13.9 per cent last month as non-essential shops reopened in mid-June to recover from a sharp fall in April, according to the Office for National Statistics. Sales of electrical household appliances, paint and hardware all returned to levels reported before the coronavirus outbreak as people focused on home improvements.

The ONS said that food sales had continued above their pre-pandemic levels because of the closure of cafés,