British retail sales rose slightly more than expected last month but January’s huge decline was even sharper than previously reported. The Office for National Statistics said sales rose 0.5 percent in February versus analysts’ forecasts for an increase of 0.4 percent. That brought the annual rate up to 2.1 percent, as expected.

Sales in January, however, are now seen as having fallen by 1.6 percent instead of the 1.3 percent fall originally reported.

The ONS said textiles, clothing and footwear sales jumped 3.0 percent in February.

Click Here: jean paul gaultier perfume

Bank of England policymakers are counting on a pick-up in consumer spending to drive economic growth this year but the latest figures suggest that recovery is far from assured.

“Despite growing signs of stabilisation in the housing market, the consumer’s appetite for spending remains weak,” said one analyst

The ONS said that overall prices were on average 1.1 percent lower than a year earlier but this assumption was based on old data as the February inflation numbers were not out yet. This increased the possibility of the latest numbers being revised even more than normal.