Christmas lights also go up on Oxford Street
British high street stores witnessed the best September sales in five years, a survey revealed today, suggesting that consumers are willing to spend in the build-up to the Christmas season.
Overall like-for-like sales increased by 2.9 per cent last month, the best growth for any single month since April 2014, according to accountancy firm BDO. Despite reports of low footfall, the survey reveals that sales of lifestyle goods went up by 3.6 per cent and sale of Autumn fashion lines was by 2.7 per cent.
“In a month when footfall is down, positive like-for-like sales figures demonstrate that shoppers are willing to spend. The favourable weather patterns in September cannot be ignored, particularly for fashion, but this result will be encouraging for retailers as we enter the final quarter of 2017,” the report states.
Non-store sales also showed a rise by 30.4 per cent year-on-year, the biggest increase since January 2015.
The latest figures are complemented by the positive figures of August, when the high street enjoyed its best August in almost two years. It is believed that the weak pound led to an influx of British “staycationers” and overseas tourists. The Bank of England also expects consumer demand to pick up.
Londoners are also thrilled to see the 750,000 bulbs already going up on Oxford Street ahead of the Christmas festivities. Despite it being a tad early, many people have welcomed the move. The lights won’t be turned on until November.
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