Business

Virus curbs fail to stop UK economy advancing in Feb

GDP expands 0.4%, but economy still nearly 8% smaller y-o-y

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 13 Apr 2021 11:30PM

Virus curbs fail to stop UK economy advancing in Feb
Britain’s Office for National Statistics says the country’s economy improved in February, with retailers and wholesalers both seeing sales pick up, while construction grew strongly. – AFP pic, April 13, 2021

LONDON – Britain’s economy rebounded slightly in February after slumping in January when much of the nation re-entered lockdown, official data showed today.

Gross domestic product expanded by 0.4% in February after sinking by an upwardly-revised 2.2% the previous month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

The January drop marked an improvement from the previous figure for a 2.9% contraction.

The economy was however 7.8% smaller than its pre-pandemic level in February 2020, it added.

“The economy showed some improvement in February after the large falls seen at the start of the year but remains around 8.0% below its pre-pandemic level,” said an ONS spokesman.

“Wholesalers and retailers both saw sales pick up a little, while manufacturing improved with car producers experiencing a partial recovery from a poor January.

“Construction grew strongly after revised figures showed they had struggled in the last couple of months,” the spokesman said. – AFP, April 13, 2021

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