It has been recorded that retail sales have grown by 1.5 per cent from August to September.
There continues to be positive signs of recovery for the UK retail sector as the ONS have reported that overall growth in sales volumes was up 5.5 per cent last month compared with February’s pre-pandemic level. In the three months to September, retail sales volumes increasing by 17.4 per cent when compared with the previous three months, this is currently the biggest quarterly increase on record.
Food sales have done well in recent months as people have eaten out less and it has been recorded that non-food store sales have now made a recovery at 1.7 per cent above the levels recorded in February. Fuel sales volumes were still 8.6 per cent below February’s records and clothing sales volumes are still 12.7 per cent below February.
Home improvement sales continue to perform well, with increased sales in house foods and garden items and the proportion of online sales was at 27.5 per cent compared with 20.1 per cent in February.
Karen Johnson, Head of Retail & Wholesale at Barclays Corporate Banking, commented: “Whilst we might be entering the colder months of the year, this latest set of results suggests the UK retail market is yet to feel the chill. Consumer demand has driven an increase in retail spending, and online channels have been the biggest beneficiary of this – as local restrictions due to the pandemic mean more and more people are choosing to shop remotely.”
