Sales in UK shops bounce back as inflation slows

CBI data for May suggests slowdown in price growth is encouraging shoppers in Britain to buy more

Sales in British shops have bounced back in May, according to retail data that suggests slowing inflation is encouraging customers to buy more.

A net balance of +8% of retailers told a Confederation of British Industry (CBI) survey that sales volumes were up this month compared with the same period a year earlier – a sharp improvement on the -44% year-on-year figure for April. The balance is the difference between companies who answered that the number of items was “up” or “down”.