Sales of watches and jewellery boosted retail sales in July, pushing them up 1.4 percent on the month.

The latest figures, published by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday, were far better than expected and up 5.9 percent on a year earlier.

Sales from watches and jewellery alone were up 16.6 percent in July, the biggest jump in nearly two years.

The report covers the period immediately after the Brexit vote, adding to the string of economic evidence suggesting the UK has shrugged off financial fears following the decision to leave. Figures were helped by average store prices falling by 2 percent in July compared with the same month last year, and falling 0.8 percent from the month before.

18/08/2016