Retail sales fall 0.3% in February

UK retail sales fell 0.3% in February as online sales growth slowed and alcohol and tobacco store sales fell sharply.

Those declines could be linked to higher spending in pubs and restaurants as confidence in going out has risen, the Office for National Statistics said.

Online sales volume fell 4.8% over the month after strong growth in December and January.

The unexpected fall in February was followed by a 1.9% gain in January.