(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window) * FTSE 100 up 0.6%, FTSE 250 adds 0.4% March 15 (Reuters) - UK shares inched higher on Monday, supported by consumer staples and industrials stocks as the economic recovery gathered pace, while recruiter SThree rose after its performance returned to pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index climbed 0.6%, with consumer staples including Diageo Plc, Unilever Plc and Ocado Group being the biggest gainers on the index. The domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index rose 0.4%, led by gains in industrials stocks. British businesses are more likely to expect a rebound in activity this year than their counterparts abroad, and expectations of a pick-up in growth are stronger than at any point since 2015, a survey showed. Food delivery company Deliveroo plans to sell around 1 billion pounds ($1.39 billion) of new shares in its upcoming initial public offering, expected to be the biggest London listing in more than seven years. SThree rose 0.6%, after saying its first-quarter performance had returned to pre-pandemic levels and exceeded its expectations. (Reporting by Shivani Kumaresan in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)