Retail sales rise as British motorists stock up on fuel

ONS says sales up by 0.7% in March, spurred by big rise in fuel purchases and sunny weather helping retailers Business live – latest updates Retail sales in Great Britain rose last month due to motorists stocking up on fuel as they watched prices at the pump escalate rapidly because of the Iran war. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the volume of retail sales rose 0.7% last month, well above analysts’ forecasts of just 0.1%, as the quantity of fuel bought hit the highest level s