Alcohol and tobacco lifts retail sales

BRITONS are turning to booze and cigarettes as recession looms.

Alcohol and tobacco purchases grew 2.8pc as retail sales unexpectedly climbed 1.4pc in April, compared with March.

Heather Bovill, deputy director for surveys and economic indicators at the Office for National Statistics, said: ‘April’s rise was driven by an increase in supermarket sales, led by alcohol and tobacco and sweet treats, with off-licences also reporting a boost, possibly due to people staying in more to save money.’

In a separate survey market research firm GfK’s consumer confidence gauge dropped to -40 in May – its lowest ever – from -38 in April, as inflation hit 9pc.

Joe Staton, GfK client strategy director, said: ‘Consumer confidence is now weaker than in the darkest days of the global banking crisis, the impact of Brexit on the economy or the Covid shutdown.’