LONDON (Reuters) -British retail sales unexpectedly rose 0.5% in September, official figures showed on Friday.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected sales to slip by 0.2% from the month before.

Compared with a year earlier, retail sales volumes were 1.5% higher versus economists’ expectations of a 0.4% rise.

British retail sales had performed relatively strongly over the summer months, helped by unusually warm, sunny weather and sporting events.

Earlier on Friday Britain’s longest-running consumer survey, from GfK, rose slightly to give an October reading that was the joint-highest since August 2024.

However, overall consumer spending has been subdued due to a continued high savings rate, which economists say may reflect 2022’s surge in inflation, a more recent weakening in the jo

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