Retail sales rebounded by more than expected in January, with the biggest monthly rise since shops reopened last spring.
The figures from the Office for National Statistics show sales volumes up by 1.9% in January and 3.6% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
In corporate news, NatWest swung to a profit of £4 billion compared with a loss the previous year. It announced shareholder distributions of £3.8 billion for 2021, including a final dividend of 7.5p a share plus an additional £750 million share buyback.
