Some supermarkets and clothing retailers reported a boost because of warmer weather and end-of-season sales.

Sales volumes rose by 1.2 per cent in the three months to August compared with the three months to May, and by 1 per cent compared with the same period last year.

In August, sales volumes were at their highest index levels since July 2022. Over the year to August 2024, sales volumes rose by 2.5 per cent, the largest annual rise since February 2022. 

When compared with their pre-pandemic level in February 2020, sales volumes were down by 0.4 per cent.

Non-food stores sales volumes—the total of department, clothing, household and other non-food stores—rose by 0.6 per cent in August, with clothing stores having the largest impact. Comments from retailers attributed the growth to end-of-season sales, alongside some mention of better weather. This follows a rise of 1.6 per cent in July.

The amount spent online remained flat during August, and rose by 4.3 per cent year on year, an ONS release said. 

Total spend, the sum of in-store and online sales, rose by 0.4 per cent over the month. As a result, the proportion of sales made online decreased from 27.8 per cent in July 2024 to 27.6 per cent in August 2024.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)