Last month, retail sales in the UK increased by just 0.2 per cent on a like-for-like basis, according to a new report.
In February, retail sales decreased by one per cent on the previous year, according to BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor 2015.
Food sales fell an annual 1.6 percent in the three months to February while non-food sales rose 1.2 per cent. That left both categories taken together down 0.1 per cent in like-for-like terms.
Overall sales went up by 1.7 per cent, against a 0.7 per cent increase in February 2014.
When adjusted for the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index deflation, total growth was 3.4 per cent above the 12-month average of 3.2 per cent.
Helen Dickinson, Director General of BRC (British Retail Consortium), said, "After the bustle of Christmas and the excitement of the January sales, February is usually a quiet month for retailers. So it's heartening to see that retail sales continued to rise this month by close to two per cent."
"What's interesting is that almost all categories of product saw increased sales – so the good news is shared out pretty evenly across the industry as a whole.
"Fundamentally though, sales are up while prices fall which means that retailers are continuing to work hard to provide original products that excite customers at the right price. So far, 2015 has been positive for both retailers and consumers and it shows no signs yet of changing course," she added.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Story by Jenny Zilligen
