UK retail sales increased by 5.6% in April of this year, compared to the same period in 2016 on a like-for-like basis, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
In total, sales rose 6.3% in April against flat growth in 2016. This positive growth is the highest seen in the UK since 2011.
The UK experienced a strong surge in Food sales during the Easter holiday season, presumably thanks to Easter Sunday falling in the middle of April, which increased 3.6% in total - the highest growth on record since 2004.
The three-months to April displayed a faster rate of growth than the 12-month total average growth of 2%. Non-Food sales rose by just 0.7%.
Food Driving Growth
Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive of BRC, said “Food categories continue to contribute the most weight to overall growth, although food inflation has a part to play in this."
Another noticeable surge was in Online sales of Non-Food product, which grew 8.2%, and In-store sales declined 1.3% in total.
While many figures are growing, UK Head of Retail, Paul Martin, insists that retailers don’t fall into a false sense of security.
“The retail landscape is changing fast and as such, agility and the ability to manage costs will remain critical.”
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aidan O'Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
