Services sector growth may not be as appetising as it appears

Restaurants, financial services, IT and transportion continue to feed UK growth, but cannot sustain an economy with a record gap between imports and exports

Carluccio's opened in Beverley last month. An unremarkable event, for sure, and certainly of little interest to the compilers of Britain's national income figures.

Yet the move by the Italian restaurant chain into the wealthy East Riding town is part of a trend for eating out that has generated much of the UK's extra services industry growth in the past three years. And it is this desire among households to spend increasing amounts of their disposable incomes in restaurant chains and wine bars that has translated into higher GDP growth.

Related: UK services growing at encouraging rate for economy