Retail sales show signs of pick-up

CONSUMER spending is stabilising but retailers will still be under significant pressure to offer bargain discounts in the run-up to Christmas, say analysts.

Retail sales, excluding car sales, rose by 1.5% in September from August driven by a rise in sales of electrical goods, fuel, food and items such as mobile phones and toys.

For the year, retail sales by volume were down 10% in September from a year earlier, after an 8.9% drop in August. Car sales fell 29% in the year, while furniture sales dropped 12.7%. Clothes sales fell 5.9% and sales at bars declined 10%.