British retail robust in January

LONDON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Retail sales in Britain posted robust gains in January from a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said Friday.

ONS said retail volumes rose 4.3 percent from January 2013.

It is the second consecutive month of solid gains. In December, gains were posted at 5.3 percent.

Sales at non-food stores rose 8 percent from a year earlier. Sales of household goods rose 9.8 percent, the largest gain in that category since July 2007.

From month to month, quantity was off 1.5 percent compared with December 2013. Spending month to month also slipped, dropping 1.8 percent. The figures are skewed because of "particularly strong" sales in December, ONS said.