| | Retail Bulletin reports that latest figures published in the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor show that retail sales edged up 1% on a total basis last month to mark the slowest December growth since 2008. Sales on a like-for-like basis, however, were down 0.4% as Black Friday pulled forward some festive sales into November.
However, total food sales grew for the first time since April although they declined by 0.3% over the last three months.
Non-food sales increased by 2.9% over the three months as trade was boosted by cyber-week and the end-of-season sales, particularly fashion.
Online sales of non-food products grew by 7% in December compared to a year earlier, when they had climbed by 19.2%. The non-food online penetration rate was 17%, up from 16% in December 2013. |