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| UK DIY sales soar but clothing stores fall behind | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| British retail sales have continued to increase for the fourth consecutive month, boosted by spending on household goods and DIY, according to official figures. | British retail sales have continued to increase for the fourth consecutive month, boosted by spending on household goods and DIY, according to official figures. |
| The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales volumes rose by 0.8% between July and August. | |
| Sales are now 4% higher than in February, when a pandemic was declared. | Sales are now 4% higher than in February, when a pandemic was declared. |
| "Retail sales continued to grow, further surpassing their pre-pandemic level," the ONS said. | "Retail sales continued to grow, further surpassing their pre-pandemic level," the ONS said. |
| "Sales of household goods thrived as the demand for home improvement continued and, despite a dip this month, online sales remained high," said Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the ONS. | |
| Spending on household goods was particularly strong in August, with retailers reporting a 9.9% jump in sales of homeware products compared with the pre-pandemic levels seen in February. | |
| But August's increase was smaller than the post-lockdown rebound seen in July, when retail sales volumes grew 3.6%. | |
| High Street 'under pressure' | |
| Online sales also fell by 2.5% in August when compared with the previous month. But the strong growth in the number of customers shopping online during the pandemic has meant that sales were still 46.8% higher than in February. | |
| Although online retailers might have seen higher numbers of clicks in recent months, many High Street stores are still struggling to attract customers after lockdown measures were eased nationally. | |
| The volume of items sold in clothing shops, for example, still stood 15.9% below February's pre-pandemic levels in August. | |
| "Clothing stores continued to struggle with sales still well below their February level. Overall, the switch to greater online sales means the High Street remains under pressure," Mr Athow added. | |
| 'Mixed bag' recovery | |
| Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: "The recovery remains a mixed bag, with high growth in online sales, while city centre shops suffered as a result of low footfall." | |
| She added: "With further lockdowns looming, the government must provide clarity on the impact it will have for shops. | |
| "Retailers have invested hundreds of millions making stores safe and secure for customers during the pandemic; this includes perspex screens, social distancing measures and additional hygiene measures. As such, retail remains a safe space for consumers, even under local lockdowns." |