Retail sales in the UK soared over 4% in August up from 1% the same time last year thanks to improved consumer confidence, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reports.
The trade association revealed this made it in line with the 12 months average rise of 4.1% and higher than the 3 month average of 3.6%.
Both food sales and in-store non-food sales jumped on a total basis over the three months to August.
Despite this rise, BRC found non-food sales dropped 0.2% on a total basis during the same period, while online non-food sales dipped 1.7%.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
BRC CEO Helen Dickinson said: “Retail sales in August improved, particularly on July’s poor performance.”
However, she noted “not all areas benefitted” from improved consumer confidence.
“Clothing and footwear saw weaker growth as families held back spending on children’s uniforms and other back-to-school goods until the last minute.”
She continued: “Easing inflation will certainly be welcomed by consumers, but as the rate of price rises falls, so will the extra spending needed by consumers.
“As a result, sales growth may fall in the coming months, even if volume growth does not. Furthermore, high interest rates and high winter energy bills will put pressure on many households to spend cautiously.”
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
