"As predicted, April's sales have been negatively affected by Easter falling in March this year and so statistically the figures...look depressing"
-David McCorquodale, head of retail at KPMG
U.K. retails sales recorded the steepest fall in April, trimming an almost year-long streak of improving economic data as the IMF visits London to check health of the U.K. economy. According to the monthly retail sales survey released by the British Retail Consortium and KPMG, total retail sales plunged 0.6% in April compared to the same period last year. Like-for-like sales that compares sales at stores, which have been operating for at least 12 months, dropped 2.2%, while analysts expected a 1.8% increase. It was the sharpest decline since April 2012 and compared with a total store sales rise of 3.7% in March and a same-store sales increase of 1.9%.
"This was always going to be a tricky month," said David McCorquodale, head of retail at KPMG. "As predicted, April's sales have been negatively affected by Easter falling in March this year and so statistically the figures...look depressing."
"Taking away the Easter distortion, this was actually a better month than March, especially for non-food sales," said BRC Director General Helen Dickinson. "There's a sense that people are more prepared to spend than they were, but chief executives are telling me that's volatile," she added.
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