Non-food sales 'are showing little growth'
Friday, 17 December 2010 12:00
Figures showing "tricky trading conditions" are underpinned by even shakier circumstances in non-food retail, it is noted.
The latest Retail Sales update from the Office of National Statistics shows sequential growth of just 0.3 per cent in overall sales between October and November 2010.
In non-food outlets, however, the expansion was even smaller at 0.2 per cent, compared with 0.6 per cent in food stores.
"Total sales growth has been weak for eight months now and a third of retailers have told us they're expecting a worse Christmas than last year," says British Retail Consortium director general Stephen Robertson.
He adds that food sales represent the largest part of the reported growth; however, the year-on-year picture is somewhat different.
Since last November, food sales have actually fallen by 1.3 per cent, whereas non-food outlets have conversely seen their sales figures increase by 3.6 per cent over the same 12 months.
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