| UK retail sales rise 0.6% in December |
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UK retail sales volumes rose by 0.6% in December, official figures show, after heavy discounting by stores.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also said that sales rose by 2.6% over the year to December. The sales figure for November was revised down to show a fall of 0.5%, rather than the 0.4% originally estimated. Retailers, including Marks and Spencer, have said that they marked prices down sharply in the run-up to Christmas. The increase in sales volumes was largely driven by clothing and footwear sales, which rose 1.8% on the year. |
