Retail sales boosted by higher clothing and food prices
New figures have shown that UK retail sales rose by 1.9% in September on a like-for-like basis while total sales increased by 2.3%.
The data from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG in their monthly sales monitor also reveals that food sales climbed by 2.5% on a like-for-like basis and by 3.5% on a total basis in the three months to September.
Meanwhile, sales of non-food retail sales increased by 0.9% on a total basis and by 0.5% on a like-for-like basis in the three-month period.
The BRC said much of September’s growth was due to price increases filtering through, particularly in food and clothing.
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “September saw a second consecutive month of relatively good sales growth which should indicate welcome news for retailers and the economy alike.
“Retailers have worked hard to keep a lid on price rises following the depreciation of the pound, but with a potent mix of more expensive imports and increasing business costs from various government policies, something had to give at some point.”
While the clothing category performed well, customers shied away from buying big ticket items such as furniture and electricals.
Meanwhile, online sales of non-food products grew by 10.7% in September.
Dickinson added: “Online has been the biggest beneficiary of the resilience in consumer spending capacity in the last two months, sustaining a return to double digit year on year growth figures as shoppers responded well to discounts and the ongoing investment by retailers in improving the mobile shopping experience.”
