UK retail sales rise at strongest pace in six months

Food sales rose 3.1% year-on-year in the three months to September, compared with a 7.4% rise a year ago.

Sales of non-food products fell 0.3 percent year-on-year in the three months to September, down from a 1.2 percent drop previously. This is above the 12-month average decline of 1.7%. For the month of September, non-supply was increasing year-on-year.

Non-food store sales in the three months to September fell 1.5% year-on-year, compared with a 0.3% increase. Online sales of non-food products rose 3.4% year-on-year in September, compared with an average decline of 3.6% a year earlier.

British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said:

“Retail sales posted the strongest growth in six months as non-food products performed better than expected. As autumn arrived in the UK, shoppers looked to update their wardrobes with coats, boots and knitwear.

“The start of the month also saw a last-minute rush for computers and clothing for the new academic year. Continued consumer concerns about the financial outlook have kept demand low for big-ticket items such as furniture and white goods.”

Dickinson sees the coming months as “crucial” for the economy as retailers enter the “golden quarter”.

By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter