- The retail sector staged its biggest quarterly rise
- But consumer confidence experienced its sharpest drop since May
UK retail sales continued their recovery for the fifth consecutive month in September, in an apparent show of rising consumer confidence. Non-food store sales finally returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But consumer data collected over October hints at a likely tightening of purse strings as we head into winter, potentially curtailing this retail revival.
Overall retail volumes rose 1.5 per cent in September, with sales now up 5.5 per cent from February. Volumes rose by 17.4 per cent in the three months to September, compared with the previous quarter, which is the biggest quarterly increase on record. Grocery sales have been spurred on by reduced eating out throughout the pandemic, but a recovery in non-food store sales, which have been hammered by temporary store closures this year, was key to this lift, with total non-food stores sales at 1.7 per cent above the February rate.