Britain's retail sales volume received a big jump of 1.2 percent between June and May, much better than expected, British official data showed on Thursday.
The retail sales in June witnessed a rise of 2.9 percent compared with the same period of last year, the biggest annual increase so far this year, according to the date released by the Office for National Statistics of UK (ONS).
In May, the retail sales suffered a decline of 0.9 percent compared with April.
The ONS said that June's retail sales were mainly boosted by hot weather and the early summer discount. As a result, textile, clothing and footwear sales rose by 4.7 percent from May, the biggest monthly gain since January this year. And the annual rate for the sales of this category was as high as 11.3 percent. However, sales of big-ticket household items were down in June.
Analysts said that the better-than-expected retail figures could not remove the anxious mode over the prospects of the British economy. That is because the unemployment in Britain is still increasing, which will be a major obstacle for the economic recovery.
So Britain's policy-makers have to continue to be cautious over the recovery though some "green shoots" are emerging, they said.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research recently forecast that the British economy would shrink 4.3 percent this year and receive only 1 percent and 1.8 percent in 2010 and 2011, respectively./.