British retail sales drops 1.3 pct in April

LONDON, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Britain's retail sales including fuel decreased by 1.3 percent in April compared with March, official figures showed Wednesday.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) attributed the drop to the length cold weather and fall in food sales, which was down by 4.1 percent in April compared with the previous month.

However, compared with the same period of last year, the retail sales increased by 0.5 percent.

According to a monthly survey of 5,000 retailers in Britain, the ONS said feedback from large food store retailers suggested that the cold weather continued to impact on sales.

"In particular, the weather hindered sales within their spring and summer ranges, including barbecue items and garden furniture," it said.

But the cold weather had helped boost online sales, which increased by 13.2 percent compared with April last year with average weekly spending amounting to 571.7 million pounds (863.3 million U.S. dollars).

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