Art and antiques help lift retail sales in Great Britain to biggest monthly rise since 2024

January increase of 1.8% beats forecasts and was also driven by shoppers snapping up jewellery onlineBusiness live – latest updatesRetail sales in Great Britain rose 1.8% in January, the largest monthly increase in almost two years, according to official data, as heavy discounting and post-Christmas sales drew consumers back to bigger ticket purchases.The rise easily beat forecasts of a 0.2% rise and was partly driven by sales of artwork and antiques sales in January, alongside continued strong sales from online jewellers, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. It was the biggest monthly rise since May 2024. Continue reading...