LONDON, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Britain's retail sales volumes fell by 1.3 percent month-on-month in April as motorists cut fuel purchases after stocking up in March, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Friday.
The decline followed a 0.6 percent increase in March and a 0.8 percent drop in February, according to the ONS.
ONS Chief Economist Grant Fitzner said weaker fuel sales were a major factor behind the sharp monthly decline in overall retail sales.
According to the ONS, consumers made fewer car journeys and delayed refueling as fuel prices rose in April following a spike in March, when many retailers reported that motorists had stocked up on fuel amid tensions in the Middle East.
Excluding automotive fuel, total retail sales fell by 0.4 percent month-on-month in April. Sales at clothing stores and non-store retailers also declined from March levels, which retailers attributed to variable weather conditions and softer demand.
Despite a slight improvement in consumer confidence in May amid signs of de-escalation in the Middle East, sentiment remains firmly negative, said Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium.
She warned that inflationary pressures are expected to intensify, with more than four in five consumers anticipating further increases in food prices.
Dickinson added that rising energy prices are increasing costs for retailers and their supply chains, noting that government energy taxes and levies account for 65 percent of business energy bills. Reducing those charges, she said, would be the quickest way to ease inflationary pressure and support consumer confidence, while delays could worsen the next cost-of-living squeeze for households.
