Fashion sales dampen retail growth during warm September
Fashion sales have hampered the wider retail sector in September, with warm weather driving sales down 4.1 per cent year-on-year.
Month-on-month that figure was even worse: sales dropped 7.8 per cent between August and September.
As a result, the retail sector as a whole saw a 0.3 per cent month-on-month drop, although sales climbed 2.7 per cent on the same time last year, making it the 18th consecutive month of growth, the longest sustained period of growth since May 2008.
On a three month rolling basis, the sector is also seeing growth – just. The rate increased by 0.3 per cent, the lowest this year.
The total spent in the retail sector during September was down 0.6 per cent on the month before, but up 1.3 per cent on last year.
The proportion of online sales were unchanged at 11.4 per cent. Online sales increased by 10.1 per cent compared with September 2013.