Sales up as shoppers take the tablets

Retail sales rebounded by a better-than-expected 2.1 per cent last month as shoppers returned to the high street after a snow-hit start to the year.

Strong sales of tablet computers helped drive the bounce-back, while department stores also benefited with sales up 10.6 per cent in February, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But the surge in retail sales came after a dire January, when sales plunged and many small shops were forced to shut as snow blanketed much of Britain.

Analysts said the latest figures came as a surprise, given that average earnings growth of 1.2 per cent is well short of inflation at 2.8 per cent.

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Some companies such as Zara, Sports Direct and Asos have reported strong results recently.

Peter Saville, partner at restructuring firm Zolfo Cooper, said: “This is certainly a step in the right direction, but retailers can’t afford to take their eye off the ball.”

The month-on-month rise was the highest since last April and follows a downwardly revised 0.7 per cent drop in sales between December and January.