01/02/2010 - Britons 'biggest online spenders'
Accounting for about 30% of all European internet sales, statistics show Britons emerged as the biggest online spenders in the continent during the recession.
Shoppers in the UK spent an estimated £38 billion online in 2009, or an average of £1,102 per consumer, according to price comparison site Kelkoo.
Although the retail industry is showing slow signs of recovery, sales on the internet shot up by 12% last year - making up 9.5% of all retail sales in the country.
The firm predicted that internet shopping would continue to grow sharply this year, with sales increasing by 12.4% to £42.7 billion.
However, this could be affected by the foreseen 19.6% growth in the total value of sales to £152.8 billion across Europe during the coming year, the study added.
Bruce Fair, managing director of Kelkoo UK, said: "While the retail industry is showing slow signs of recovery, the online shopping sector bucked the trend in 2009 delivering double-digit growth, and is expected to continue to perform strongly in 2010."
The survey, which was conducted by the Centre for Retail Research, also found that Germany and France followed the UK in ruling over the online market - with a total spend of £29.7 billion and £22 billion respectively.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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