BRC: February retail sales up 2.2%
Retail sales were up on a like-for-like basis in February, according to the latest British Retail Consortium-KPMG research.
Retail sales were up by 2.2 per cent on a like-for-like basis between February 2009 and the same month this year, according to a study many view as the truest reflection of the industry.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC)-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor indicated that total sales were up by 4.5 per cent over the same period too, which is welcome news for the sector.
Retailers will be forgiven for keeping their party hats in the draw though, as February’s sale boost was measured against very weak figures from one year before when heavy snow and the recession contributed to a poor month for firms.
Head of Retail at KPMG Helen Dickinson commented: “Slowing food inflation hindered growth in value terms, while the expected uplift on a weak snowbound February 2009 duly arrived and the first week of the month saw double digit growth in most non-food sectors.”
Detailing the performances of the individual sectors, she revealed that sales of clothing and footwear, home accessories and textiles carried on in a similarly positive manner to January, but it was the opposite story for other non-food sectors.
This data comes after last week’s BDO High Street Sales Tracker said February was a good month for the industry, with the fashion and non-store elements apparently driving overall like-for-like sales growth of 9.1 per cent on the high street.
Click here to find retail jobs in the UK
Written by Ryan Hodge
