Activity on the high street is picking up after the cold snap at the start of the year deterred shoppers, according to the CBI.
The employers group’s monthly distributive trades survey showed an improvement for the retail industry this month, with the key sales balance rising to +11 in May from April’s reading of -2. This is the best figure since January.
The economy grew at its slowest annual rate in five years in the first three months of this year, partly because of the unusually cold weather, which hit consumption and construction.
