Retail sales in Great Britain rise as shoppers turn to secondhand items

Consumers also focused on discount stores and dined in more in February amid cost of living crisis

There was a better-than-expected boost for retail sales in Great Britain in February as shoppers turned to discount department stores and secondhand shops, and chose to dine in more and cut back on eating and drinking in pubs and restaurants.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales increased by 1.2% last month compared with January, well ahead of economist forecasts of a 0.2% rise, bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels despite the cost of living crisis.