Shop sales rise for FIFTH month in a row: Retailers see 1.5% increase in September with trading now 5.5% higher than pre-pandemic levels
Retail sales in Britain rose for the fifth month in a row after they were boosted by non-food items such as DIY and garden supplies, official figures revealed today.
Sales volumes rose by 1.5 per cent between August and September, which was almost twice the size of the previous month’s increase of 0.8 per cent.
The Office for National Statistics data released this morning also revealed that sales are now 5.5 per cent higher than those seen in February, before the pandemic.
This graph shows how total retail sales volumes (displayed for the past three years) continued to increase for the fifth consecutive month following the sharp falls seen in February
The proportion of online spending peaked in lockdown and is still higher than in February
Last month, fuel was the only negative contribution to the overall recovery in retail sales when compared with February, according to data from the Office for National Statistics
Household goods stores and other non-food stores increased to above February levels within total non-food stores
Retail sales volumes are also now 4.7 per cent higher than a year earlier, taking the annual rate above all forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists.
Jonathan Athow, the ONS deputy national statistician for economic statistics, said: ‘Retail sales increased again in September, the fifth consecutive month of growth since the record falls seen at the start of the pandemic.
‘Food stores and online retailers have fared particularly well in recent months, and most other store types have now recovered to pre-pandemic levels too after being subject to temporary closures during restrictions in the spring. Spending on home improvement and gardening items in particular have boosted sales.
‘Clothing store sales have been slower to recover and fuel sales remain subdued as people continue to work from home and have reduced the amount they travel.’
More to follow