Retail sales up 1.1 per cent in January

UK retail sales rose by 1.1 per cent on a like-for-like basis in January, but non-food sales – including bikes – were down for the same period.

The British Retail Consortium and KPMG found that although sales were driven by heavy discounting, it wasn’t enough to avoid the drop in non-food sales.

ACT’s latest retail survey backed up the findings, stating a 1.7 per cent slip in sales for IBDs on a like-for-like basis with last January. ACT put the dip down to December’s better than expected performance – which rose 0.9 per cent.

According to the firm, cycle dealers fortunes varied hugely – with 47 per cent reporting growth in January on a like-for-like basis while 53 per cent reported a downturn in sales of anything up to 80 per cent in January. Retail location was found to be an influence on a retailers success.

Meanwhile, according to the BRC, general non-food non-store sales rocketed by 19.2 per cent on a like-for-like basis.