10/02/2009 - January sales rise for retailers
Bargain hunters flocked to the high street in January resulting in a best sales performance for retailers in the UK since May.
Figures by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show a rise of 1.1% compared to the same month the previous year. Its latest BRC/KPMG Retail Sales Monitor reveals sales of food increased by 5.1%, while non-food sales slipped 1.6%.
The BRC said the recent retail figures "gave room for optimism", but warned the increase in January sales could just be a short-lived blip.
Good non-food growth was helped by the internet with online sales reaching 19% of the total sold in January. Although in January clothing, footwear, homewares and health and beauty sales were down on the previous year.
Food and drink sales saw their best growth since June, with higher prices failing to put people off spending a bit more on these products.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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