Fri, 17 Jan 2014 12:08:04 GMT
U.K. retail sales jump on best Christmas season since 1996
Retail sales in the United Kingdom unexpectedly climbed almost nine times higher than economists expected, surging 2.6% in December of 2013 on a monthly basis versus a 0.3% forecast. Statisticians point out that it was the strongest December, speaking about Christmas sales, since 1996. The gains were led by department stores, which recorded the largest 8.7% increase in sales.