UK retail sales rise by 2.1 per cent between January and February
UK retail sales rise by 2.1 per cent between January and February
Thursday 25th March 2010
UK retail sales rose in volume by 2.1 per cent between January and February, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has revealed today.The rise will come as welcome news for the high street, following the confirmation volumes fell by three per cent in January.
The increase in sales was widely expected following the damaging start to the year, in part due to the severe winter conditions.
British Retail Consortium's director general Stephen Robertson warned though the figures "may not be all they seem".
"The growth is compared with very weak figures a year ago when February saw the worst of last winter's weather," he said.
"This February's performance was helped by sales postponed from January – particularly sales of non-food items such as furniture and fashion. But food sales growth slowed as customers had stocked up in January’s wintry weather and food inflation is falling."
"Consumers are certainly more positive than a year ago but job worries, tax increases and uncertainty over what is still to come after the general election are causing customers to remain cautious."
Compared to 2009, sales were up 3.5 per cent last month, the official figures confirmed.
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