Knowledge Centre
21st May 2009
Hopes of a sustained recovery in the retail sector were boosted today, with the publication of the latest official sales figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the volume of retail sales - the total takings adjusted for inflation - was 2.6% higher in April than in the same month last year.
Non-food stores experienced the biggest boost, with volumes up 2.8% fuelled by higher sales of textiles, clothing and footwear.
Sales in non-specialised outlets, such as department stores, rose by 6%, and online, mail-order and telephone sales were up 9.1%. Meanwhile, the volume of sales in food stores was up 1.5% - the biggest increase since May 2008.
However, the ONS warned that the picture remained "mixed", with sales of household goods continuing to fall.
The ONS statistics confirm the upward trend in retail sales identified in the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) figures last week.
April was the first month in which the ONS applied a new method of calculating its retail sales, following criticism that its figures were consistently higher than those produced by the BRC and the <a href="http://www.cbi.org.uk/ndbs/press.nsf/awprdate?openview&start=1&Count=30&Expand=1#1top" target="_blank">Confederation of British Industry[/url].
Retail sales continue upward trend
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the volume of retail sales - the total takings adjusted for inflation - was 2.6% higher in April than in the same month last year.
Non-food stores experienced the biggest boost, with volumes up 2.8% fuelled by higher sales of textiles, clothing and footwear.
Sales in non-specialised outlets, such as department stores, rose by 6%, and online, mail-order and telephone sales were up 9.1%. Meanwhile, the volume of sales in food stores was up 1.5% - the biggest increase since May 2008.
However, the ONS warned that the picture remained "mixed", with sales of household goods continuing to fall.
The ONS statistics confirm the upward trend in retail sales identified in the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) figures last week.
April was the first month in which the ONS applied a new method of calculating its retail sales, following criticism that its figures were consistently higher than those produced by the BRC and the <a href="http://www.cbi.org.uk/ndbs/press.nsf/awprdate?openview&start=1&Count=30&Expand=1#1top" target="_blank">Confederation of British Industry[/url].
Tags: Economy, Retail & Shop
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