Retail sales on the rise
RETAIL sales grew strongly in February, continuing the revival seen in recent months and adding to hopes that UK consumer confidence is returning, according to industry figures published today.
Numbers from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) revealed total sales rose 2.3 per cent compared with February 2011, an acceleration from the 2.1 per cent rise in January and the ninth consecutive monthly increase.
On a three-monthly basis, food sales rose 4.9 per cent on the same period a year ago, while non-food sales rose 1.4 per cent.
Online non-food sales kept booming, up 9.9 per cent in February, year on year, compared with 11.3 per cent in January and 18.5 per cent in the year to December.
But like for like sales, the measure used by retailers to judge the success of existing stores, was down 0.3 per cent.