Sales growth ‘not a recovery sign’

JANUARY’S retail sales figures showed strong growth, boosted by post-Christmas sales and the buoyancy in the car market typical of the start of the New Year.

The value of sales rose 1.4% during the month, resulting in an annual increase of 8.8%. Excluding cars, the monthly increase was a more modest 0.8%, reducing the overall growth to 6.4%.

Overall sales rose 1.9% measured by volume, giving an annual increase of 4.7%. During the month of January, sales in clothing and footwear rose by 3.9% in volume.