According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, retail sales continue to a show marginal growth rate however, online retail sales fell by 0.2%.
However. research from the CBI said sales fell at their sharpest rate since 2008 in August.
Main points:
- In the three months to August 2019, moderate growth in the quantity bought continues at 0.6% when compared with the previous three months, with growth in non-store retailing being the main contributor to the increase.
- The monthly growth rate in the quantity bought in August 2019 fell by 0.2%; non-store retailing was the largest contributor to this fall, partially offsetting the strong growth reported last month for this sector.
- The year-on-year growth rate shows that the quantity bought in August 2019 increased by 2.7%; this is a slowdown compared to the stronger growth experienced earlier in the year which peaked at 6.7% in March 2019.
- Online sales as a proportion of all retailing fell to 19.7% in August 2019, from the 19.9% reported in July 2019.
ONS head of retail sales, Rhian Murphy, said: “Retail sales grew moderately in the three months to August with online sales still providing the biggest driver, despite falling back in the latest month.
“Shoppers spent less on both food and clothing while department stores resumed their downward trend after a brief rally in July.”
Leave a Comment